Applicants

How To Apply

The Lowell Housing Authority administers a variety of affordable housing programs through the Office of Public Housing and the Division of Leased Housing Programs. Each of the programs are designed to provide you with housing choice subject to eligibility criteria, and availability. Learn more about your affordable housing options below before applying. If you still have questions regarding affordable housing options or eligibility criteria, we are here to assist you.

Applications are accepted at our Office of Public Housing located at:

89 Appleton Street, Lowell, MA 01852 Hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-4:30 pm

You may also download our federal application here and mail or hand-deliver to 89 Appleton Street.

FEDERAL PUBLIC HOUSING APPLICATION

For additional information, please contact the Office of Public Housing at 978-364-5361.

Simply click below to get started!

Apply Federal Public Housing

Apply State Public Housing

State-Aided Public Housing is a state-funded public housing program to serve the housing needs of the Lowell community. The program is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The LHA oversees 198 units of state-aided, project-based housing serving families, the elderly, disabled persons and congregate, and supportive housing.

Please read the following information carefully before applying as eligibility for each program will vary. Familiarizing yourself with the criteria for this program will assist you in completing an accurate application.

There is a separate application to apply for state-aided public housing. Applicants wishing to apply for state-aided public housing must complete all applications through Massachusetts online application system called CHAMP. Click on apply below to get started.

Apply

State-Aided Public Housing Apply

Apply Online or Download Application

Applications are accepted through CHAMP, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) online application website. Housing Authorities maintain separate waiting lists, and can establish their own preferences. This can present a challenge to applicants applying in multiple jurisdictions. CHAMP provides applicants with a convenient way to apply to one or more public housing authorities, instead of having to mail or hand-deliver applications to multiple housing authorities. Visit CHAMP to learn more or to apply online at: https://publichousingapplication.ocd.state.ma.us.

Paper applications are accepted. Click here to download the MRVP application. Once complete, applications may be mailed to the Lowell Housing Authority, Office of Public Housing, 21 Salem St., Lowell, MA 01854, or hand-delivered to the office.

Apply in Person

Applicants completing applications in person may do so at the Lowell Housing Authority’s Office of Public Housing located at 21 Salem, Lowell, MA 01854.

State-Aided Public Housing Occupancy Standards

DHCD establishes reasonable occupancy standards for State-Aided Public Housing. The following are the occupancy standards for the program.

UNIT SIZE (minimum #)	PPL IN HOUSE (minimum #)	PPL IN HOUSE (maximum #)
0 Bedroom	1	2
1 Bedroom	1	2
2 Bedroom	2	4
3 Bedroom	3	6
4 Bedroom	4	8
5 Bedroom	5	10
6 Bedroom	6	12

State-Aided Public Housing Income Limits

DHCD is required by law to set income limits that determine the eligibility of applicants for DHCD administered housing programs. These income limits are published annually and are based on DHCD estimates of median income for a particular area or county, adjusted for family size. The LHA income limits for the public housing program are 80% of the median income. Income Limits | HUD USER

State-Aided Public Housing Preferences

The need for public housing in Lowell exceeds the availability of funds for this purpose and a housing unit is a scarce resource which is in great demand. Given these realities, housing is made available to those most in need and reflecting the priorities of the LHA through local preferences, permitted by DHCD. DHCD also permits the LHA to establish other local preferences at the agency’s discretion. The following are the current preferences, and weights assigned to the preferences established by the LHA for applicant families.

#	Preference	Weight
1	Involuntarily displaced from a dwelling unit in the municipality of Lowell by natural disaster, by fire, by unwarranted landlord action and by government action, including capital programs of the LHA	200
2	Working head of household or working spouse, or a person 62 years old or older, or a person unable to work because of the extent of their disability	185
3	A legal resident of Lowell, or a person working in Lowell, or a person with a job offer to work in Lowell	130
4	A victim of domestic violence who has been relocated and as verified by the police	81
5	A veteran as verified by the Department of Veteran Affairs or an individual who has served in any branch of the military and remains in active status	4
		Total Points: 600