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87 countiesLargest PHAs in Illinois
About housing assistance in Illinois
Federal rental assistance in Illinois is delivered exclusively through local Public Housing Authorities — Illinois does not run a single state-wide program. The 106 PHAs in our directory cover the entire state, from large metropolitan agencies that administer tens of thousands of Housing Choice Vouchers down to single-county agencies that own a handful of senior buildings. Each PHA has its own waitlist, its own administrative plan, and its own preferences for selecting families from the list.
If you are looking for assistance, the most important first step is identifying the right PHA. Some areas of Illinois have multiple overlapping PHAs — for example, a large city may have its own PHA and sit inside a county PHA's service area. You can apply to all of them, and there is no penalty for being on multiple waitlists. Browse by county above to see every PHA serving each part of the state.
Most Illinois PHAs participate in two distinct programs: Section 8 / Housing Choice Vouchers, where you take the subsidy to a private rental, and Public Housing, where the agency itself owns the building. The two programs use the same income limits but maintain entirely separate waitlists. Apply to whichever you qualify for — or both.