Independent Living
Independent Living in Texas: Senior Apartments and 55+ Communities in the Directory
Independent living in Texas: how to use the directory to find HUD-assisted senior apartments for people 62 and older, what 55+ communities are, and what to ask.
Key takeaways
- Our Texas independent living directory lists 341 HUD-assisted senior properties across the state.
- The largest groups sit in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin. Many smaller towns have homes too.
- These listed homes are for people age 62 and older. That is the HUD rule for this housing.
- In a HUD Section 202 home, rent is set at 30% of the resident's adjusted income. HUD pays the rest of the approved rent cost.
- A 55+ community is a different kind of place. It is housing with an age rule, and it gives no care.
- The directory does not list market-rate 55+ communities. No full list of those places exists in a public roster.
- Medicare does not pay rent, and Medicaid does not pay rent for a standard apartment.
- See the full list on our independent living homes in Texas page.
Texas is a big state, and senior housing is spread across it. A search that works in Houston may miss good homes in smaller towns. This guide shows how to use our Texas directory with care.
The directory lists HUD-assisted senior apartments in Texas. HUD is the federal housing office. These homes serve people age 62 and older. The guide also explains 55+ communities, and it states plainly what the directory does not list.
What the Texas directory holds
Each listing in the directory comes from HUD records. The records name the property, its city and address, and its unit count. Many listings also carry a phone number from the HUD file.
The 341 Texas properties are not all in big cities. Houston holds the most, with 45 properties. San Antonio holds 35, Dallas holds 21, and Fort Worth holds 18. Austin holds 13. The rest spread across towns in every part of the state.
That spread matters for families. A parent who wants to stay near a son or daughter in a small town may still find a listed home close by. Start the search with the town, then widen it step by step.
The homes in the directory share one trait. Each one is HUD-assisted or HUD-designated housing for older adults. That means rents in these homes rest on income rules, not only on market price. The next section explains that rule.
How HUD-assisted senior apartments work
The best known HUD program for older adults is Section 202. It helps build and run apartment homes for people age 62 and older with low income.
Rent in a Section 202 home is set at 30% of the resident's adjusted income. Adjusted income is income after some costs are taken out, as HUD rules allow. For each $100 of adjusted income, rent is $30. If income falls, rent can fall too.
You apply at the building, not at HUD. Each building keeps its own waiting list. Income limits are set by area, and they can be strict. Ask each building for its limit and for its list rules.
Not every home in the Texas directory is a Section 202 home. Some hold HUD Section 8 project-based help. In that setup, help stays with the building, and rent for assisted units also rests on income. The listing for each home names the type of HUD help it holds. Ask the building which rule sets your rent before you sign.
55+ communities in Texas
A 55+ community is housing built for older adults. At least 80% of its homes must have at least one resident age 55 or older, under the federal rule. You can read the full rule in our guide to 55+ communities explained.
These places give housing only. Staff do not help with baths, meals, or drugs. Homes can be apartments, houses, condos, or manufactured homes.
Here is the key limit for your search. The directory does not list market-rate 55+ communities in Texas. No state or federal roster lists them all. To find one, you search town by town, through local ads, builders, and word of mouth. Do not treat the directory as a full list of every senior home in Texas. It is a full list of the HUD-assisted senior homes HUD records hold.
How this housing differs from assisted living
Independent living is housing, with no hands-on care as part of the rent. Assisted living adds daily help with tasks such as baths, dressing, and drugs.
Cost works in a different way too. The national median cost for assisted living is $6,200 a month (Ledger F4, CareScout 2025 survey). That figure is a national survey median for assisted living care. It is not a Texas price, and it is not the price of a senior apartment.
No such median exists for independent living in the Ledger. Texas senior apartment rents vary by city, by building, and by income rule. Use the directory and each building's own rent rule, not a single statewide figure.
Who pays for what
- Private pay is the main way people pay for senior apartments and 55+ homes. Rent comes from Social Security, a pension, and savings.
- HUD help can cut rent in the assisted homes in the directory. In a Section 202 home, rent is 30% of adjusted income, and HUD pays the rest of the approved rent cost.
- Medicare does not pay rent or community fees. Medicare pays for covered health care. It does not pay for long-term housing.
- Medicaid does not pay rent for a standard apartment. Medicaid is a health program, and standard rent is not a covered service.
How to use the directory, step by step
- Pick the city or town where you want to live. Start with the place where family or care is close.
- Open the Texas independent living listings and note each home that fits your area.
- Call each home. Ask if its waiting list is open, what the income limit is, and which HUD rule sets the rent.
- Ask what a unit holds: floor level, grab bars, and how meals and rides work, if they are offered at all.
- Apply at each home where you would live. Keep copies of each form, with the date you sent it.
- Keep your phone and address up to date with each list. If staff cannot reach you, your name can be dropped.
- If no list is open near you, widen the search to the next town and ask your Area Agency on Aging for local leads. Find that office through the Eldercare Locator.
Sample situation
Maria is 71 and lives in San Antonio. Her rent on a small house has risen, and yard work has grown hard. She wants a senior apartment in the same city, near her daughter.
Maria opens the Texas directory and finds HUD-assisted senior homes in San Antonio. She calls three homes. One list is closed. Two lists are open. Staff at both open homes tell her the same rent rule. As a Section 202 resident, her rent would be set at 30% of her adjusted income.
Maria applies at both homes and keeps copies of her forms. She also tours one 55+ community a friend named. That place is not in the directory, since it is a market-rate home with no HUD help. She asks for its full fee list in writing, so she can weigh both paths with real facts while she waits.
First steps
- Choose the Texas city or town you want first, then widen the search if lists are closed.
- Use the directory to list HUD-assisted homes in that area.
- Call each home and ask about its list, its income limit, and its rent rule.
- Ask each 55+ community you find on your own for its rule book and full fee list.
- Apply early. Waiting lists for assisted homes are long in most areas.
- Keep copies of every form, with dates.