With rents and everyday expenses continuing to climb across California, finding a home that fits within a household budget has become increasingly difficult, especially in the L.A. area.
Fortunately, a new opportunity is now available to some low-income residents. The Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA) has reopened registration for 16 site-based public housing waitlists, giving eligible residents a chance to be considered for county-managed housing. The waitlists opened on August 17 for the first time since April 2024.
What is L.A. County’s public housing program?
The program provides county-owned and managed public housing for low-income families, individuals, and older adults. LACDA operates 68 public and affordable housing properties serving more than 6,600 residents, but registration is currently open for only 16 locations.
Of those, 10 properties are designated for seniors, while the other six are for general occupancy. The available properties include:
Senior housing:
- Carmelitos Senior: 155 units, Long Beach
- Rosas/Herbert Senior: 150 units, East Los Angeles
- Palm Senior: 127 units, West Hollywood
- West Knoll Senior: 136 units, West Hollywood
- Marina Manor Senior: 183 units, Marina del Rey
- Foothill Villa Senior: 62 units, La Crescenta (small site)
- Orchard Arms Senior: 183 units, Valencia
- Francisquito Villa Senior: 89 units, La Puente (small site)
- Whittier Manor Senior: 49 units, Whittier (small site)
- South Bay Gardens Senior: 100 units, South Los Angeles (small site)
General-occupancy housing:
- Carmelitos Family: 558 units, Long Beach
- Harbor Hills Family: 301 units, Lomita
- East County Family: 433 units, East Los Angeles
- Santa Monica Family: 41 units, Santa Monica (small site)
- Quartz Hill Family: 40 units, Quartz Hill (small site)
- South Scattered Sites: 309 units, South Los Angeles
The six properties marked as small sites will close their waitlists once they receive 1,000 applications or at 5 p.m. on September 16, whichever comes first.
Residents can register for more than one of the 16 waitlists if they meet the eligibility requirements. However, there is an important catch: if someone is offered a unit from one of their selected lists and turns it down, they will be removed from all the other waitlists they selected.
Who can qualify and how to apply?
Eligibility is based largely on household income, with different income limits depending on the property and household size. For example, households earning up to 50% of L.A. County’s median income can qualify under that income tier. That currently means an annual income of up to $58,300 for an individual or $83,300 for a family of four.
For senior-designated properties, an elderly household generally means that the head, co-head, spouse, or sole member is 62 or older.
Eligible residents can register online through LACDA’s application portal or call 626-586-1522 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, for assistance. LACDA also offers in-person application help at its offices in Alhambra. Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. on September 16, 2026.
Once units become available, applicants are selected from each waitlist based on applicable preferences and then by the date and time they registered. Public housing residents generally pay no more than 30% of their adjusted monthly gross income toward rent, making these waitlists particularly significant for households struggling with L.A.’s housing costs.
