Housing Authority of Baltimore City

417 E Fayette Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Housing Authority of Baltimore City is a Public Housing Agency that participates in the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV), Public Housing, Homeownership Voucher, Public Housing Homeownership, Family Self-Sufficiency, Moving to Work, Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), Section 8 Project-Based Voucher (PBV), and Mainstream Voucher programs. As of October 31st, 2020, Housing Authority of Baltimore City has 1 waiting lists that are open now or opening soon.

The Senior Project-Based Voucher Waiting List has opened and is accepting applications now. The waiting list is scheduled to close on June 30th, 2021.

Housing Authority of Baltimore City serves Baltimore.

About Housing Authority of Baltimore City

HCV Portability Status

As of 11/19/2018, Housing Authority of Baltimore City is billing for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher port-in requests. Learn more about porting Housing Choice Vouchers to a new area here.

About the Housing Authority of Baltimore City Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, Housing Authority of Baltimore City manages 17,195 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

The following is a summary of the types of vouchers managed and the monthly costs of each as of December 31st, 2019:

Household Characteristics of Voucher Holders for Housing Authority of Baltimore City

Waiting List and Tenancy

According to the 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households database, the housing authority's voucher program has an annual turnover of 10% having issued approximately 1,625 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 12 years and 6 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 6 months on the waiting list¹.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.4 persons and has a household income of $14,673 per year. 97% of households were very low income (VLI) and 81% were extremely low income (ELI). 31% of households had wages as a major source of income, 10% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 56% of households had other income (Social Security, Disability or Pension) as their major source of income.

Heads of Household Characteristics

3% of households were headed by a person 24 years old or less, 56% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 24% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 17% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 1% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

49% of households included children, 2% of which had two adults in the household. 46% of households with children have a female head of household. 80% of all households were headed by a female.

96% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 95% of all heads of households being Black and 0% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Housing Authority of Baltimore City Housing Choice Voucher program, 26% include at least one person with a disability. 39% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 82% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

34% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 28% with 2 bedrooms and 38% with 3 or more bedrooms. 13% of voucher recipients are considered overhoused, meaning they occupy a rental unit larger than their family size requires.

Rent, Assistance, and Utility Allowances

The average monthly tenant contribution to rent by Housing Authority of Baltimore City voucher holders in 2016 was $362 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $966. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $169.

1. This Picture of Subsidized Households data field is the average wait time of those who received a voucher in the preceding 12 months. Due to special voucher programs like VASH, recent waiting list purges, or waiting list preferences the average wait time can vary significantly from one year to the next and it is entirely possible many current applicants on the waiting list have been waiting for assistance for far longer.