More than $169 billion is necessary to preserve the nation’s public housing, according to an October 23, 2025 report from a coalition of organizations led by the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities.

The report found an average per-unit preservation need of $188,090 and that estimated preservation costs vary widely across the public housing portfolio. Nationwide, one quarter of public housing units have predicted baseline preservation costs under $87,701, while one quarter have predicted baseline preservation costs greater than $273,466 per unit.

The report focuses on the opportunity that the recently enacted, as part of HR1, 12% permanent increase to state allocations of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs) and the permanent reduction of the bond financing requirement for the 4% LIHTC from 50 to 25% provide for the preservation of the nation’s public housing.

The report calls for states to incentivize the use of the LIHTCs specifically for public housing preservation, including by increasing the LIHTC eligible basis by 50% for residential units designated for extremely low-income households. LeadingAge strongly supports such a policy change as it would help the LIHTC program tackle the nation’s more dire housing affordability challenges. Public housing and other HUD programs, such as Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance and Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly, are deeply income- targeted and meet these most significant housing affordability gaps.

Of the more than 800,000 units of public housing in the U.S., 38% have a head of household or their spouse who is 62 or older.

Read the public housing report here.