The majority of residents in public housing are senior citizens. As a result, the federal government has passed laws to ensure that the elderly have suitable public housing. Public housing for the elderly and the disabled must be equipped with special accommodations. Such accommodations include railings in hallways, wheelchair cabinets, lower cabinets, elevators, and railings in showers. These facilities are designed to make life easier for elderly and disabled residents. Your current home may not have many of these features, and so as a result, your move to public housing might even improve the quality of your housing.
See also our publication Tenants & Landlords: Rights and Responsibilities
For more information, see: 24 C.F.R. § 945.101 (2015); Joan M. Krauskopf et al., Elderlaw: Advocacy for the Aging §§ 19.2, 19.4 (2nd ed. 1994).