Erie County, New York Affordable Housing

Waiting Lists in Erie County, New York

There are no open Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists in Erie County. Go to the New York Section 8 Waiting Lists page for openings near Erie County.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Erie County, New York

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Waiting lists for project-based assistance, like the Public Housing program, are open:

• Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority Public Housing is currently open for new applications.

Erie County, New York Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Erie County, New York

Erie County features 12,802 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in Erie County, New York

There are 6,991 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Erie County.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Erie County, New York

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Erie County landlords $500 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $300 towards rent in Erie County.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Erie County, New York for a two-bedroom apartment is between $962 and $1,176.

2023 Erie County, New York Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Erie County, NY Affordable Housing Snapshot

Population and Household Demographics

Erie County is a county in New York with a population of 921,584. There are 382,846 households in the county with an average household size of 2.33 persons. 34.99% of households in Erie County are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Erie County

The median gross income for households in Erie County is $51,247 a year, or $4,271 a month. The median rent for the county is $739 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Erie County, a household making less than $2,463 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 46.77% of households who rent are overburdened in Erie County.

Area Median Income In Erie County

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

In Erie County, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $87,700

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Erie County

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Erie County