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Retirement hotels, inns, boarding homes and other similar residential facilities where low-income older adults and/or people with disabilities can live independently on their own, usually in one building, share common areas, social activities and amenities and have most meals in a communal dining area. Most of the residences feature a mix of studio, one and two-bedroom apartment style accommodations, rented on a monthly basis, with interior corridors, elevators, small kitchenettes and emergency intercoms or pull cord systems as a safety feature. There may also be special wheelchair access rooms or other amenities designed to make it easier for elderly residents to reside comfortably and safely in their apartments. Housekeeping, social activities, and transportation services may be included and laundry services may be available for an additional fee. Residents pay no entry fees, make no long term financial commitments (other than the usual cleaning and security deposits) and may leave whenever they choose.

Privately owned rental housing that is made available to low-income individuals and families at reduced rates based on a contract between HUD or the state housing authority and the property owner. Subsidies are paid directly to the owner of the property who then rents units to income-eligible individuals and families. Also included are low-cost or below market rate housing that is operated or sponsored by religious or charitable organizations for the benefit of low-income individuals and families; and rental housing targeted to lower income households that has been purchased, rehabilitated or constructed by developers who are receiving a federal income tax credit under the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program or are participants in other similar affordable housing incentive programs. Some privately owned rental units that were developed or improved with public funds are also required to rent a designated number of units at reduced prices to people who meet low-income eligibility requirements until the federal or state loans are paid. Some complexes or housing units may be reserved for low-income older adults, people with disabilities and/or other special populations. Included are income-based rental housing where tenants pay rent that is geared to their income; as well as fixed below market rate rental housing where rent is lower than what people would normally pay renting the unit but is based on a specified percentage of the median income for the area rather than on a percentage of an individual's actual income, and tenants may have to be within a specified income range to live there. Rental amounts and the level of "affordability" may vary considerably among programs.

Housing programs that make rental housing more readily available to homeless people and/or low-income individuals and families (those below 50% of the area's median income). Some complexes or housing units may be reserved for low-income older adults, people with disabilities and/or other special populations.

Housing developments or scattered single family dwellings that are owned and managed by local housing authorities and rented to income and program eligible individuals and families, including older adults and people with disabilities. The units are governed by federal regulations which determine the application process, eligibility requirements, and tenant payment and lease obligations. Eligible households pay approximately 30% of their adjusted gross income for rent.

A federally-supported, tenant-based housing program administered by local housing authorities that provides assistance in the form of vouchers that enable income-eligible families to find and lease approved privately owned housing where the landlord has agreed to enter into a contract with the housing authority and/or finance agency. Tenant-based assistance provides rental subsidies that move with a household into any qualifying housing within a certain area. The housing can be (and often is) private housing that may not have been built with the intention of accepting solely low-income tenants, but if the quality and cost of the unit fall within a specified range, it may qualify. Eligible households pay approximately 30% to 40% of their adjusted gross income for rent and the housing authority subsidizes the balance.