Since 1950, the Rock Island Housing Authority (RIHA) has provided rental assistance to families who pay no more than 30% of their income toward rent and utilities.

Public Housing was originally established in the City of Rock Island as a floor, both literally and figuratively, for the City's most vulnerable residents, including seniors on a fixed-income, persons with disabilities, low-income wage workers and families struggling to overcome health, educational and other barriers to full participation in our economy and our society.

While RIHA still serves the City's most vulnerable residents, it is no longer considered the housing of last resort. It is more than a landlord, and it is more than a developer. RIHA is an active participant in and significant contributor to the revitalization of the City of Rock Island. Today RIHA provides housing of choice and supports a variety of programs fostering economic self-sufficiency and personal growth. As an agency, RIHA is investing in the lives and the futures of Rock Island citizens. Strong, economically diverse communities are important ingredients in reducing poverty, eliminating dependence on welfare and improving the futures of low-income families. The RIHA mission and purpose involves more than building housing in a community - it involves rebuilding the lives of the people living there. As a result, public housing-eligible residents have more choices and more control over where they live coupled with the opportunity to become self-sufficient, contributing members of their communities.