(Source: CBS Boston) BOSTON (CBS) – Like thousands of other low-income residents in Boston, Angelina Depina, 26, knows how tough it is to find an affordable place to live.

To qualify for subsidized public housing options, prospective tenants have to meet income restrictions. There is a lot of competition for a limited number of vacancies. In Boston, the waiting list has 38,000 applicants.

This Dorchester working mom was surprised to learn hundreds of families around the state are earning well above those income limits.

“I think it’s a smack in the face, honestly,” Depina said. “It’s really disgusting because there truly are individuals who are really struggling.”

At Orchard Gardens in Roxbury, one family of four reported a $228,000 income. At another development in Dorchester’s Mission Hill neighborhood, five different families brought in six-figure salaries.

“Is it fair? No, it’s not fair,” Depina said. “It might be legal, but it’s morally wrong.”

The families all met income guidelines when they applied for the program. The issue: since obtaining jobs and earning higher salaries, nobody from the housing authorities has told them to pack up and move into the private market...