Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers From the Reading Housing Authority
The Reading Housing Authority runs the Housing Choice Voucher Program, once referred to as Section 8, which helps a household pay rent while living in the private rental market. It is the largest of a group of voucher programs at the Authority. You find the house or apartment yourself and find out whether the landlord is willing to take part in the program. Three contracts hold the arrangement together: the voucher between you and the Reading Housing Authority, the lease between you and the landlord, and a Housing Assistance Payment contract between the landlord and the Authority. The Authority is not part of the lease.
Eligibility includes criteria related to income, assets and criminal history. The 2026 income limits are listed by household size as maximum annual income at three levels, low-income, very low-income and extremely low-income:
- 1 person: low-income $57,200, very low-income $35,750, extremely low-income $21,500
- 2 people: low-income $65,400, very low-income $40,850, extremely low-income $24,550
- 3 people: low-income $73,550, very low-income $45,950, extremely low-income $27,600
- 4 people: low-income $81,700, very low-income $51,050, extremely low-income $33,000
- 5 people: low-income $88,250, very low-income $55,150, extremely low-income $38,680
- 6 people: low-income $94,800, very low-income $59,250, extremely low-income $44,360
The page does not say which of the three levels a household must fall under to qualify, so ask the Authority.
Participants pay approximately 30% of their monthly income toward the cost of the rent, plus the utilities that are the tenant's responsibility. In the City of Reading that often includes electricity and gas, which is to be placed in the tenant's name for the duration of the lease. Billing for water, sewer and trash is required to be in the property owner's name in Reading, but those charges may still be passed on to the tenant.
The home you rent with a Reading Housing Authority voucher must be located in the City of Reading, which means the owner pays property taxes to the Reading School District. Some vouchers are portable, which means assistance issued in one jurisdiction can be transferred for use in a different location. The Authority requires that a participant live in the City of Reading for one year, with or without a voucher, before porting a voucher elsewhere.
Demand is high, so the Authority accepts applications only at certain times, and when applications are accepted they are usually subject to a lottery, which means not everyone who applies is given an opportunity to be considered for a voucher. Households selected for the waiting list may sometimes wait a year or more to be contacted to complete the full application, at which point eligibility is fully determined. The page does not say when applications will next be accepted or how an application is submitted, so ask the Authority.
For questions, the Authority's general contact is Reading Housing Authority, 400 Hancock Boulevard, Reading, PA 19611, (610) 775-4813, info@readingha.org. The page does not list office hours.
The Authority states it will not deny any family or individual the opportunity to apply for or receive assistance on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, age, family or marital status, handicap, or disability.
Source: readingha.org/vouchers-overview, read September 18, 2026.
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Income: $45,950 Extremely Low-Income: $27,600 Low-Income: $81,700 Very Low-Income: $51,050 Extremely Low-Income: $33,000 Low-Income: $88,250 Very Low-Income: $55,150 Extremely Low-Income: $38,680 Low-Income: $94,800 Very Low-Income: $59,250 Extremely Low-Income: $44,360
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Households who are selected for the waiting list may sometimes wait a year or more to be contacted to complete the full application, at which time eligibility is fully determined.
In Reading Housing Authority’s words
Voucher Programs at Reading Housing Authority (RHA) are actually a group of different programs, in which participants in the program receive help, through a “voucher”, to pay their rent while living in the private rental market. The largest of these programs, formerly referred to as “Section 8”, is called the Housing Choice Voucher Program , but there are others. In this kind of rental assistance program, the household finds a house or apartment that they wish to rent and determines whether the…
En español: la página del proveedor →
Organization
Reading Housing Authority
About this listing
This listing summarizes publicly available information from readingha.org/vouchers-overview. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.