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Report  | June 2022

Project-Based Rental Assistance: More Than Affordable Housing

By Nam D. Pham, Ph.D. and Mary Donovan

Project-Based Rental Assistance program (PBRA) provides rental assistance for over 2 million people in 1.3million low-income, very low-income, and extremely low-income households to afford modest housing. In 2021, the annual household income of PBRA recipients averaged $13,571 while more than 36% earned less than$10,000 and nearly 82% of residents earned less than $20,000. Two-thirds of PBRA heads of households are seniors and disabled adults. The amount of rental assistance equals the rent paid to the private owner minus the resident contribution. The resident contribution for rent and utilities must be the highest of 30% of their adjusted income, 10% of their gross income, or $25 per month. When a resident moves, the assistance stays with the housing development.