HUD Guidelines require the LHA to establish reasonable occupancy standards for the Public Housing Program. The following are the occupancy standards for the LHA’s Public Housing 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 |
HUD is required by law to set income limits that determine the eligibility of applicants for HUD’s assisted housing programs. These income limits are published annually and are based on HUD estimates of median income for a particular area or county, adjusted for family size. The LHA income limits for the public housing program are 50% of the median income.
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 HUD. HUD 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
OR
Households which reside in the City of Lowell and participate in non-federal housing rental subsidy program whom are at risk of displacement due to changes in the affordability requirements, administrative delivery system or level of subsidy for specific programs |
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 |
During the initial application process, when you are called in for a screening, and when you have reached the top of the waiting list, you will be asked to have the following information or documents available for review by the LHA:
*The LHA will be contacting you throughout the application process. Should your contact information change, you are required to notify the Office of Public Housing. If we are unable to contact you, you may be removed from the waiting list.
secure electronic application please click on the button below to MyHousing, the Lowell Housing Authority’s third-party secure application portal. Once inside the portal, you will be able to complete the application. Before applying, please have all of your necessary documents with you. You will need the social security numbers, names, DOB for all family members, along with the preferences you are selecting. Please set aside at least XX minutes when you begin the application. The application does not offer the ability to save and resume the application process.
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.