Subsidized housing is housing that is affordable because you pay a set portion of your income towards your rent.  Subsidized housing can be in private low rent housing, public housing or in the form of a rental subsidy or voucher. Public housing was established to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Public housing comes in all sizes and types, from scattered single family houses to high-rise apartments for elderly families. In Massachusetts, public housing is administered by the Local Housing Authority in each city or town where the housing is located.  For more information, please see the Tenant Resources folders entitled Housing Search and Housing Vouchers and go the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community development’s page on How to Obtain Housing Assistance.