Who lives in public housing?
Forty percent of public housing units are occupied by households headed by a person 65 years old or older, most of whom live alone (88 percent). Over half of the elderly households live in projects specifically designed for the elderly. Public housing contains a much higher percentage of elderly households than the overall rental housing stock. Only 14 percent of all rental housing is occupied by the elderly. Households with children comprise 43 percent of public housing. A slight majority of these families (56 percent) are single-parent households. Households headed by handicapped persons are also an important component of public housing; 12 percent of public housing families have a nonelderly disabled head of household. To summarize: 52 percent of all public housing is occupied by elderly or handicapped households, 43 percent by households with children (including some with handicapped heads of household), and the balance by nonelderly households without children. Public housing serv
