Public Housing Apartments and Townhouses From the Berks County Housing Authority
The Berks County Housing Authority (BCHA) owns and manages 209 public housing apartments and duplex-style townhouses spread across 9 developments in Berks County, and tenants pay approximately 30 percent of their monthly income to the BCHA as rent. The BCHA is a governmental Public Housing Agency organized under the laws of Pennsylvania and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It was organized over 40 years ago to meet the housing needs of residents of Berks County, many of whom could not otherwise afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing.
All waiting lists are currently closed, so no new pre-applications can be submitted right now. The page does not say when they will reopen. You can sign up for waiting list and news alerts by e-mail through the Waiting List / News Alerts link on berksha.org so you hear when that changes.
If you already applied, you can check where you stand with the "Check Status on Waiting List" button on the waiting list page at berksha.org. Enter your Social Security number in the box and click "Verify".
When the waiting list is open, you submit a pre-application for housing assistance either by mail or online. The BCHA then uses one of two systems to place applicants on the list. It may use a lottery, in which each application is randomly given a number, so it makes no difference when your application is submitted and every application has the same chance of being chosen; the BCHA selects a certain number of applications, ordered by preference category and then by assigned number, and the rest are not selected and have to reapply when the waiting list reopens. Alternatively, the BCHA may accept all applications and order them by preference category and, within each preference category, by the date and time the application was received by the office.
When your name reaches the top of the list, you are invited to an intake interview, where you complete a full application for housing assistance. The BCHA verifies your income, assets and other information you submitted and conducts a criminal background check, then notifies you when it determines your eligibility. If you are eligible for public housing, the BCHA begins to offer you units that meet your needs as they become available.
The same pre-application also covers the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) Program, which pays a subsidy to a private landlord instead of housing you in a BCHA-owned unit.
After you submit a pre-application, you are required to notify the Berks County Housing Authority in writing of all address changes, and failure to report changes may result in your removal from the waiting list without further notice. Public housing applicants must also continue to report all changes of household composition in addition to their address.
The authority publishes the FY 2026 income limits for the Reading, PA MSA, which consists of Berks County, with a median family income of $102,100. The very low (50%) income limits run from $35,750 for one person to $67,400 for eight people, the extremely low income limits run from $21,500 for one person to $55,720 for eight, and the low (80%) income limits run from $57,200 for one person to $107,850 for eight. The page does not say which of these limits applies to public housing applicants or list the other eligibility rules, so ask the office.
The main office is at 1803 Butter Lane, Reading, PA 19606, at the Richard B. Delp Townhouses. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:00am-12:00pm for walk-ins and 12:30pm-5:00pm by appointment only, and the office is closed on Fridays. The general phone number is (610) 370-0822 and Relay Service is 711. For general questions about the housing programs you may e-mail contact@berksha.org. The office is also closed on New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving Day, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.
If you already live in BCHA public housing and have a maintenance issue, call the 24-hour maintenance line at (610) 686-6850. That line is for public housing, Tarsus Manor, BHO and Norman Commons tenants only. If you have a maintenance issue but are not receiving housing assistance through the agency, the BCHA recommends calling the codes enforcement department of the city, township or borough where you live.
Source: berksha.org/waiting-list-application-process, read November 2, 2026.
The details
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81,700 $88,250 $94,800 $101,350 $107,850
In Berks County Housing Authority’s words
Public housing consists of apartments and duplex-style townhouses that the BCHA owns and manages. The BCHA manages 209 units located in 9 developments across Berks County. You will pay approximately 30 percent of your monthly income to the BCHA as rent.
Organization
Berks County Housing Authority
Organization profile in our directory →About this listing
This listing summarizes publicly available information from berksha.org/waiting-list-application-process. Last recorded review: November 2, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.