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An extensive list of coronavirus resources for low-income households can be found here.
Housing Authority of Baltimore City is a Public Housing Agency in Baltimore, Maryland 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.
Housing Authority of Baltimore City serves Baltimore.
Waiting List Statuses
| Waiting List | Status |
|---|---|
| Baltimore, Maryland Housing Choice Voucher | Closed |
| Project-Based Voucher | Closed |
| Public Housing | Closed |
Other Housing Authority of Baltimore City Waiting Lists
Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, some waiting list openings may be postponed until further notice. Visit the housing authority's website for the latest on its current operations, if one is available. If there is no information online, contact the housing authority directly. Due to a high volume of calls and modified office hours in most areas, it may take days or weeks to get a response.
Housing Authority of Baltimore City Website: https://www.habc.org/.
Housing Authority of Baltimore City Phone: (410) 396-3232.
COVID-19 Update: As of April 13, 2020, the Housing Authority of Baltimore City website says:
"Due to the ongoing public health emergency, HABC will remain closed to the public until May 1st."
Closed: Baltimore, Maryland Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List
How To Apply to the Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List
The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is currently closed. It was last open for nine days in October 2014, and before that in 2003. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.
To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.
In the first hour of the 2014 opening, the HABC received more than 10,000 applications. The first full day of applications saw 42,000 total applications. It is estimatde that for the opening as a whole, the HABC received more than 60,000 applications.
About 25,000 applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery.
Applicants who have been selected on the waiting list were notified in writing by March 1, 2015.
For more information, visit the HABC HCVP page, or the HABC website.
Last Updated on 04/17/2019.
Closed: Project-Based Voucher Waiting List
How To Apply to the Project-Based Voucher Waiting List
The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) Section 8 Project-Based Voucher waiting list is currently closed. It is not known when this waiting list was last open, or when it will reopen.
For more information, visit the HABC HCVP page, or the HABC website.
Last Updated on 04/17/2019.
Closed: Public Housing Waiting List
How To Apply to the Public Housing Waiting List
The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) waiting list for Public Housing apartments is currently closed. Applications were last accepted on December 19, 2019. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.
There were three ways to apply during the opening period:
- Open and print the application online.
- Pick up an application from the Admissions and Leasing Office, or any Public Housing community.
- Request an application by mail by calling the Admissions and Leasing Center; Maryland Relay System; or the Customer Relations Center.
This waiting list had the following preferences:
- Head, Co-Head of Household, or spouse is employed full time or part time
- Head, Co-Head of Household, or spouse is employed full time or part time in Baltimore City
- Head, Co-Head of Household, or spouse is 62 or older
- Head, Co-Head of Household, or spouse is a Veteran
- Head, Co-Head of Household, or spouse lives in Baltimore City
- Head, Co-Head of Household, or spouse has a job offer to begin to work in Baltimore City withing the next 60 days
- Anyone in the household has a disability
Selected applicants were placed on the waiting list by date and time the application was received, weighed by order of preferences.
For more information, visit the HABC Public Housing page, or the HABC website.
Service Area
This waiting list is for rental assistance in Baltimore, Maryland. Apartments offered through this waiting list are only located within this service area.
Last Updated on 12/19/2019.
About Housing Authority of Baltimore City
More information about Housing Authority of Baltimore City can be found on its website at https://www.habc.org/.
Representatives of Housing Authority of Baltimore City may be available by phone at (410) 396-3232. Unless otherwise noted above, applications will not be provided or accepted by phone.
Open today from 8:30am to 4:30pm ET.
Office Hours
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 8:30am-4:30pm |
| Tuesday | 8:30am-4:30pm |
| Wednesday | 8:30am-4:30pm |
| Thursday | 8:30am-4:30pm |
| Friday | 8:30am-4:30pm |
| Saturday | Closed |
| Sunday | Closed |
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:
| Standard | Homeownership | Family Unification | Tenant Protection | Moving To Work | Ported Out | VASH | Non-Elderly Disabled | Litigation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vouchers | 2,541 | 115 | 97 | 722 | 10,387 | 1,026 | 471 | 32 | 1,769 |
| Monthly Cost Per Voucher | $1,459 | $575 | $1,181 | $827 | $888 | $1,090 | $649 | $791 | $1,349 |
| Monthly Cost | $3,707,559 | $66,137 | $114,555 | $596,744 | $9,226,244 | $1,118,065 | $305,570 | $25,327 | $2,385,814 |
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.
Public Housing Apartments Operated by Housing Authority of Baltimore City
J. Van Story Branch, Senior Apartments
Low Income Housing Managed by Housing Authority of Baltimore City
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