Senior Apartments in Berks County: Income Limits, Waitlists
About forty subsidized and reduced-rent senior apartment buildings in Berks County, nearly all for people 62 and older: the income limits by kind of building, how the two housing authorities' lists work, which private lists are open, and why to apply to several at once.
Berks County has about forty apartment buildings for older people where a program lowers the rent, nearly all for people 62 and up. At most of them you pay about 30 percent of your income and the government covers the rest; at the others you pay a fixed rent set below market. The Reading and Berks County housing authorities' lists were closed on November 6, 2026, several private lists were open, and each owner keeps its own list (the Reading Housing Authority's six share one), so apply to several; these apartments come without care, and the communities that offer care are on our page of senior living communities in Berks County.
62 and older or 55 and older: what the age rules mean.
Federal fair-housing law lets a building limit itself to older people in three ways: it runs under a government program for older people, every resident is 62 or older, or at least 80 percent of the occupied apartments have someone 55 or older in them. A 55-plus building can take younger people in up to a fifth of its apartments; a 62-only building can't.
Reading Elderly Housing in Reading takes individuals aged 62 or older. Phoebe Ministries, a nonprofit, lists four Berks buildings on its site: the Wyomissing Club, John F. Lutz, Weidner Manor and Furnace Creek Manor. At the first three, both members of a couple must be 62; at Furnace Creek Manor, one must be. Franklin and Noble Manor in Shoemakersville, which Phoebe's site described in 2024, took couples only when both were 62. Many 62-plus buildings, including the Reading Housing Authority's six, admit a younger adult with a disability.
The income limits for Berks, by kind of building.
At a subsidized building, the government pays the part of the rent above about 30 percent of your adjusted income, which is your income after the deductions the program allows, such as some medical costs. At a tax-credit building, the owner got a federal tax credit for keeping rents below market and setting an income limit for tenants, so the rent is fixed; Penn's Common Court, for example, posts one-bedrooms from $756 a month with heat, water, sewer and trash included. The limits as of 2026 are these.
| Kind of building | One person | Two people |
|---|---|---|
| Public housing, vouchers and the privately run subsidized buildings: extremely low income (30 percent) | $21,500 | $24,550 |
| The same programs: very low income (50 percent) | $35,750 | $40,850 |
| The same programs: low income (80 percent) | $57,200 | $65,400 |
| Tax-credit buildings: the 50 percent cap | $35,750 | $40,850 |
| Tax-credit buildings: the 60 percent cap | $42,900 | $49,020 |
The percentages are the program's labels: shares of the area's median family income for a family of four ($102,100 for Berks County), scaled down for smaller households. The limits took effect May 1, 2026; each building's manager tells you which row it uses.
Income counts before taxes, Social Security and pensions included. A Rural Development building (financed by the federal rural housing program) uses the same very-low and low figures this year. This is general information: each building's manager, or the housing authority, decides who qualifies, from your own paperwork.
The senior buildings, town by town.
The county keeps a directory of these buildings, linked from the county's senior housing guides page, and the table is built from it; details marked with an asterisk come from the county directory rather than the building's own page, so confirm them with the building.
| Building | Town | Who it's for | Program | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Housing Authority's six buildings | Reading | 62 or older, or an adult with a disability | Public housing | 610-775-4813 |
| Reading Elderly Housing | Reading | 62 or older | Subsidized | 610-490-8648 |
| B'nai B'rith House | Reading | 62 or older* | Subsidized | 610-374-4453 |
| Hugh Carcella Apartments | Reading | A household member 62 or older | Subsidized | 610-372-1733 |
| Senior Apartments at the Wyomissing Club | Reading | 62 or older, both of a couple | Tax credit | 610-927-8000 |
| Barley Square Apartments | Reading | 62 or older | Tax credit | 484-331-2821 |
| Penn's Common Court | Reading | 62 or older | Tax credit | 610-373-3633 |
| Market Square Apartments | Reading | 55 or older | Tax credit | 610-373-1212 |
| Oakshire Apartments | Reading | 62 or older* | Tax credit | 610-376-1716 |
| Providence House | Reading | 62 or older, or 55 with a disability* | Tax credit* | 484-926-2145* |
| Queen of Angels Apartments | Laureldale | 62 or older* | Subsidized | 610-921-3115 |
| St. Catharine Senior Apartments | Reading (Perkiomen Avenue) | 62 or older* | Subsidized | 610-743-5374 |
| Penn's Crossing Senior Apartments | Reading (West Wyomissing Court) | Ask the building | Tax credit | 610-775-9220 |
| Sencit Towne House | Shillington | 62 or older, some units for people with disabilities* | Subsidized | 610-777-6519 |
| John F. Lutz Apartments | St. Lawrence | 62 or older, both of a couple | Tax credit | 610-779-8101 |
| Luther Meadows and Heilman House | Topton | 62 or older, or a disabled adult over 18 | Subsidized | 610-682-1450 |
| Wilson Manor | Kutztown | 62 or older* | Subsidized | 610-894-9510 |
| Saucony Meadows | Kutztown | 62 or older, or an adult with a disability* | Subsidized* | 610-894-9874 |
| Saucony Cross Apartments | Kutztown | Ask the building | Subsidized* | 610-683-5966 |
| Tarsus Manor | Fleetwood | 62 or older; no pets | Tax credit, flat rent | 610-370-0822 ext. 202 |
| Berks County Housing Authority's one-bedroom buildings | Boyertown, Birdsboro, Womelsdorf, Fleetwood | Ask; a 2023 opening was for people 62 and older or with a disability | Public housing | 610-370-0822 |
| The Knitting Mill on Peach Alley | Hamburg | 55 or older, or an adult with a disability* | Subsidized* | 610-580-0789 |
| Wyndcliffe House Apartments | Hamburg | Ask the building | Ask | 610-562-4902 |
| Franklin and Noble Manor | Shoemakersville | 62 or older* | Rural Development | 610-562-9691 |
| Southgate Apartments | Leesport | 62 or older | Tax credit | 610-916-2943 |
| Furnace Creek Manor | Robesonia | 62 or older, one of a couple | Rural Development and tax credit | 610-693-3419 |
| Henner Apartments | Womelsdorf | 62 or older, or younger with a disability | Rural Development, rent based on income | 610-589-2052 |
| Weidner Manor | Douglassville | 62 or older, both of a couple | Tax credit* | 610-385-1070 |
| Amity Manor Apartments | Douglassville | 62 or older, or an adult with a disability* | Subsidized* | 610-385-4622 |
From the county's February 2026 directory. Managers decide eligibility, so call before you count on any row.
Four of these lists were open on November 6, 2026: Southgate Apartments 62+ in Leesport, 62 and older; Market Square Apartments in Reading, 55 and older; Penn's Common Court in Reading, 62 and older; and Henner Apartments in Womelsdorf, 62 and older or younger with a disability. Open means the list is taking names. For the other private buildings, call to ask whether the list is taking names; the housing authorities' lists are the closed ones.
The Reading Housing Authority's six senior buildings and how its list works.
The Reading Housing Authority's six senior buildings share one waiting list, and rent is 30 percent of adjusted income with utilities included.
The authority opens the list only when it expects to house the applicants within 18 months, and the last opening ran September 8 to 10, 2026, online only. When more apply than it can house, a lottery sets the order. You get one offer rather than a choice of building, and some applicants wait more than 18 months. It announces an opening ten business days ahead on readingha.org, its Facebook page and in the Reading Eagle. On November 6, 2026 its public housing list and its voucher list were closed. Vouchers, still called Section 8, pay part of your rent to a private landlord; our guide to how the Berks housing authorities' waiting lists work explains both.
The Berks County Housing Authority's buildings and Tarsus Manor.
The Berks County Housing Authority owns one-bedroom and efficiency buildings in Boyertown, Birdsboro, Womelsdorf and Fleetwood, and it manages Tarsus Manor in Fleetwood, 33 one-bedrooms for people 62 and older at a flat reduced rent; call 610-370-0822 to ask whether it's taking names.
When a list opens you file a short pre-application; veterans and surviving spouses, people who live or work in Berks, and people paying more than half their income in rent get extra points that move them up the list. The authority can't estimate the wait; it posts openings on berksha.org, where you can sign up for email alerts.
How the private buildings' lists work.
Each privately run building takes its own application. Hugh Carcella Apartments fills its list first come, first served. Luther Meadows and Heilman House take a preliminary application by phone at (610) 682-1450 and add you to the list once they confirm you're eligible for the rent subsidy. Phoebe's buildings post a downloadable application; Wyomissing Club Senior Apartments is at 610-927-8000. Every list is a wait, so ask each office how long its list is; apply to every building that fits your age and income.
Frequently asked questions.
Is there anything for people 55 and older?
Two subsidized or tax-credit buildings in the county directory are for people 55 and older: Market Square Apartments in Reading and The Knitting Mill in Hamburg (610-580-0789); Providence House in Reading also takes people 55 and older who have a disability. Market-rate 55-plus communities appear among the apartments in Berks County; ask each about its age rule and rent.
Can you get help with rent where you live now?
Pennsylvania's rent rebate pays eligible older renters up to $1,000 a year, and Pennsylvania's rent rebate for older renters has the age rules and the income limit.
What if an apartment isn't enough?
When you need care, start with senior living communities in Berks County, and read home care versus assisted living in Berks County and the LIFE program in Berks County for paid help at home.
Sources
- Berks County Area Agency on Aging, "Subsidized Housing" directory (2.2026) and its Senior Housing Options page (read November 6, 2026): the buildings, age rules, unit counts and phones, and the tax-credit and voucher sections.
- HUD, FY2026 Section 8 income limits, Reading, PA MSA (effective May 1, 2026, per Notice PDR-2026-02): the 30, 50 and 80 percent rows.
- HUD, FY2026 Multifamily Tax Subsidy Project income limits, Reading, PA MSA (effective May 1, 2026): the 50 and 60 percent caps for tax-credit buildings.
- USDA Rural Development, FY2026 Multi-Family Housing income limits, Reading, PA MSA (revised July 13, 2026): the very low, low and moderate rows.
- 42 U.S.C. § 3607(b)(2), 24 CFR § 100.303 and § 100.305: housing for people 62 and older, the 55-and-older 80 percent rule, and the 62-only example.
- 24 CFR § 5.403, 24 CFR § 891.205 and 7 CFR § 3560.11: who counts as an elderly household under public housing, Section 202 and Rural Development.
- Reading Housing Authority, "Public Housing", "Apply: overview", "Apply: process" and the six building pages (read November 6, 2026): the mixed-occupancy buildings, the 30 percent rent with utilities, the closed lists, the 18-month sizing, the lottery, the preferences and the contact.
- Reading Housing Authority, waiting-list opening notice (August 2026): the September 8 to 10, 2026 window, the 62-plus and disability categories, the one-offer policy.
- Berks County Housing Authority, "Waiting List/Application Process" (read November 6, 2026: all waiting lists closed), with its developments page, waiting-list FAQ and contact page (Internet Archive captures, December 2025 and January 2026): the buildings, preference points, the no-estimate line, the office.
- WFMZ, "Waiting lists for Berks public housing to open later this month" (February 6, 2023): the county authority's one-bedroom opening for applicants 62 and older or with a disability.
- Phoebe Ministries, senior affordable housing and its pages for the Wyomissing Club, John F. Lutz Apartments, Furnace Creek Manor and Weidner Manor (read November 6, 2026) and the archived Franklin and Noble Manor page (capture February 21, 2024): the age rules, the couple rule, the programs and phones.
- HDC MidAtlantic, Southgate Apartments, Market Square Apartments, Penn's Common Court and Henner Apartments (read November 6, 2026): the age rules, the open lists, the no-vacancy lines, Penn's Common Court's posted rents and what rent includes.
- EHDOC, Hugh Carcella Apartments: the member-62-or-older rule, 30 percent of adjusted income, the first-come list and how to apply.
- Reading Elderly Housing (The Michaels Organization): 62 or older, one- and two-bedrooms, the office phone.
- Diakon, Luther Meadows and Heilman House rates (updated June 1, 2026) and about us: the age rule, the $35,750 and $40,850 limits, 30 percent of monthly income, how adjusted income is counted, and the application.
- Barley Square Apartments (Woda Cooper): affordable 62-plus apartments and the phone. Preservation Management, Oakshire Apartments: senior living, one- and two-bedrooms, the application. Holy Family Senior Living, affordable housing: Queen of Angels in Laureldale and St. Catharine, HUD-subsidized, the pre-application.