Housing
Housing Support: Your Room and Board Contribution
Housing Support (formerly called Group Residential Housing or GRH for short) looks at your income to:
- Figure out if you qualify, and
- See how much you need to contribute for your room and board each month.
How Housing Support looks at your income depends on:
- The type of Housing Support setting you live in (whether you live in Supportive Housing), and
- Whether you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or have other unearned income.
Types of Housing Support Settings
Housing Support can help you live and get services in different types of settings. Most people who get Housing Support live in these types of locations:
- Adult Foster Care (AFC): Housing where one to five people with disabilities and older adults each live in their own bedrooms and get some services from an on-site caregiver.
- Assisted Living Facilities: Licensed facilities for residents that also provides assisted living services. Most residents are older adults, but can also include adults with disabilities.
- Board and Lodge: Housing where five or more people live in their own or shared bedrooms, and have other common shared spaces.
Some people who get Housing Support live in Supportive Housing. It is usually for people who have experienced long-term homelessness and offers independent apartment units or shared housing where residents have their own rental leases, have the option to prepare their own food, and get supportive services, like getting a unit set up with furniture and household supplies, employment services, or health-related services, like help to prepare and administer medications. Housing Benefits 101 (HB101) has more about Supportive Housing.
For Housing Support, how your income is counted and your rent is calculated depends on whether you live in Supportive Housing.
Read the section below that applies to your situation. Important: Most people who get Housing Support don't live in Supportive Housing. If you aren't sure if you live in Supportive Housing, check with your housing manager or Chat with a Hub expert.
What You Pay for Room and Board in Most Housing Support Settings (Not Supportive Housing)
Most people who get Housing Support do not live in a Supportive Housing Setting. If you are in this situation, how your room and board is calculated depends on whether you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
If You Get SSI Benefits (and Don't Live in Supportive Housing)
If you get Housing Support, get SSI benefits, and don't live in Supportive Housing, it doesn't matter how much you get in SSI or how much you earn: your countable income for Housing Support is $862.
You have to pay the $862 for room and board (and services, if Housing Support helps pay for your services). You get to keep any other income you have.
Example: Housing Support with an SSI benefit (not in Supportive Housing)
Evelyn makes $1,400 per month at a job and gets $336.50 in SSI benefits, for a total gross income of $1,736.50. She gets SSI, so her countable income is $862.
She will have to pay the $862 each month to her housing provider. She keeps the rest of her income ($874.50) for her personal expenses.
Your Monthly Income: Housing Support with an SSI Benefit (Not in Supportive Housing)
| Your monthly earned income | $ |
| Plus your monthly SSI benefit | + $ |
| Plus other monthly unearned income | + $ |
 | |
| Your total income | |
| |
| SSI Maximum Benefit | $994.00 |
| Minus personal needs allowance | - $132.00 |
| |
| Countable Income = what you pay Housing Support provider for room and board | |
| |
| You keep the rest of your income | |
If You Don't Get SSI Benefits (and Don't Live in Supportive Housing)
If you get Housing Support, don't get SSI benefits, and don't live in Supportive Housing, follow these steps to see your countable income:
-
If you have any earned income, subtract a $65 earned income exclusion from it.
- You get to keep the $65.
-
Divide the resulting amount of earned income by two. This is your countable earned income.
- Less than half of your initial earned income is counted. You get to keep the rest.
-
Add your countable earned income from step two to any unearned income you have and subtract $132 from that number.
- The $132 is called your personal needs allowance. It is yours to spend on whatever you want or need.
-
The final number is your countable income.
- If you qualify for Housing Support, you have to pay the full amount of your countable income for room and board.
Example: Housing Support without SSI benefits (not in Supportive Housing)
Anna makes $200 per month at a job and gets $750 per month in spousal support, for a total of $950 in gross income.
Anna's Monthly Income (no SSI benefit):
| Anna's Monthly Earned Income | $200.00 |
| Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion | - $65.00 |
| |
| Subtotal | |
| Divide by two | ÷ 2 |
| |
| Countable Earned Income | |
| |
| Unearned Income | $750.00 |
| Plus Countable Earned Income | + |
| Minus personal needs allowance | - $132.00 |
| |
| Countable Income = what Anna pays Housing Support provider for room and board | |
| → (Capped at $1,192) | |
| |
| Anna keeps the rest of her income |
Your Monthly Income: Housing Support without SSI benefits (Not in Supportive Housing)
| Your Monthly Earned Income | $ |
| Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion | - $65.00 |
| |
| Subtotal | |
| Divide by two | ÷ 2 |
| |
| Countable Earned Income | |
| |
| Your Monthly Unearned Income | $ |
| Plus Countable Earned Income | + |
| Minus personal needs allowance | - $132.00 |
| |
| Countable Income = what you pay Housing Support provider for room and board | |
| → (Capped at $1,192) | |
| |
| You keep the rest of your income | |
What You Pay for Room and Board for Housing Support in Supportive Housing
If you live in Supportive Housing, your room and board contribution calculations are much different. Note: Most people who get Housing Support do not live in a Supportive Housing Setting. If you aren't sure if you live in Supportive Housing, check with your housing manager or Chat with a Hub expert.
If you live in Supportive Housing, how your room and board is calculated depends on if you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, get other unearned income, or don't have any unearned income.
If You Get SSI Benefits (and Live in Supportive Housing)
If you get Housing Support, get SSI benefits, and live in Supportive Housing, it doesn't matter how much you get in SSI or how much you earn: your countable income for Housing Support is 30% of SSI's maximum benefit, which is $298.20 in 2026.
You have to pay the $298.20 for room and board (and services, if Housing Support helps pay for your services). You get to keep any other income you have!
Important: If your income goes up enough that you stop getting any SSI, your income will be counted differently and you will have to pay a lot more for room and board.
Example: Housing Support with an SSI benefit (in Supportive Housing)
Betty makes $1,400 per month at a job and gets $336.50 in SSI benefits, for a total gross income of $1,736.50. Her countable income is $298.20.
She will have to pay the $298.20 each month to her housing provider. She keeps the rest of her income ($1,438.30) for her personal expenses.
Your Monthly Income: Housing Support with an SSI Benefit (in Supportive Housing)
| Your monthly earned income | $ |
| Plus your monthly SSI benefit | + $ |
| Plus other monthly unearned income | + $ |
| |
| Your total income | |
| |
| SSI Maximum Benefit | $994.00 |
| Countable Income (30% of SSI max benefit) = what you pay Housing Support provider for room and board | |
| |
| You keep the rest of your income | |
If You Have Unearned Income, but Don't Get SSI (and Live in Supportive Housing)
If you get Housing Support, live in Supportive Housing, and do not get SSI benefits, but do have other unearned income (such as SSDI benefits, other disability benefits, retirement benefits, unemployment insurance, interest in a bank account, etc.), follow these steps to see your countable income:
- Add up all of your earned income and unearned income. This is your total income (also called your "gross income").
- Multiply this by 30%.
- The final number is your countable income for Housing Support.
This is the amount you pay for room and board to your Housing Support provider (and services, if Housing Support helps pay for your services). You keep the other 70% of your income to spend on other things.
Example: Housing Support with unearned income but no SSI (in Supportive Housing)
Charlotte makes $600 per month walking dogs and gets $1,400 per month in Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), for a total of $2,000 in gross income. 30% of $2,000 is $600, so that's what she pays for room and board for her supportive housing. She keeps the rest of her income ($1,400) and can spend it on other things.
Your Monthly Income: Housing Support with unearned income but no SSI (in Supportive Housing)
| Your monthly earned income | $ |
| Plus your monthly unearned income | + $ |
| |
| Your total income | |
| |
| Countable Income (30% of total income) = what you pay Housing Support provider for room and board | |
| |
| You keep the rest of your income | |
If You Don't Have Any Unearned Income (and Live in Supportive Housing)
If you get Housing Support, live in Supportive Housing and don't unearned income, follow these steps to see your countable income:
-
If you have any earned income, subtract a $65 earned income exclusion from it.
- You get to keep the $65.
-
Divide the resulting amount of earned income by two. This is your countable earned income.
- Less than half of your initial earned income is counted. You get to keep the rest.
-
Subtract $132 from that number.
- The $132 is called your personal needs allowance. It is yours to spend on whatever you want or need.
-
The final number is your countable income.
- If you qualify for Housing Support, you have to pay the full amount of your countable income for room and board.
Example: Housing Support without unearned income (in Supportive Housing)
Sheila makes $1,500 per month at a job and has no unearned income.
Sheila's Monthly Income (no unearned income, Supportive Housing):
| Sheila's Monthly Earned Income | $1,500.00 |
| Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion | - $65.00 |
| |
| Subtotal | |
| Divide by two | ÷ 2 |
| |
| Countable Earned Income | |
| |
| Minus personal needs allowance | - $132.00 |
| |
| Countable Income = what Sheila pays Housing Support provider for room and board | |
| → (Capped at $1,242) | |
| |
| Sheila keeps the rest of her income |
Your Monthly Income: Housing Support with no unearned income (in Supportive Housing)
| Your Monthly Earned Income | $ |
| Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion | - $65.00 |
| |
| Subtotal | |
| Divide by two | ÷ 2 |
| |
| Countable Earned Income | |
| |
| Minus personal needs allowance | - $132.00 |
| |
| Countable Income = what you pay Housing Support provider for room and board | |
| → (Capped at $1,242) | |
| |
| You keep the rest of your income | |
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