City’s public housing application to reopen

Baltimore’s public housing authority is reopening its waitlist from Aug. 1-14 through its low-income housing program.

Low-income families, people over 62 or people with disabilities can apply for housing with the federally funded rental assistance program.

The waitlist will be open for the first time since 2019, when the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) stopped accepting applications because of the lengthy backlog and average wait time of more than five years to receive housing.

There are more households who qualify for public housing than there are available rental units for those families, HABC said. Keeping a waitlist allows HABC to contact applicants when they reach the top of the list.

HABC said it will use a lottery system to select 13,000 applicants from those who apply to be placed on the waiting list. After the application window closes Aug. 14, HABC will notify the selected applicants as well as those who were not selected.

Applicants who are selected will be contacted to complete a full eligibility application as housing spaces become available. HABC will only accept one preliminary application per household.

In order to be considered for assistance, applicants must meet the following HABC qualifications:

Qualify as a family as defined in HABC admission and continued occupancy policies.

Be 18 years of age or older or an emancipated minor under state law.

Have an annual income that does not exceed the applicable income limits set forth by housing and urban development at the time of admission.

Pass a criminal background check.

At least one family member in the household must be a U.S. citizen, national or noncitizen with eligible immigration status.

Not have been terminated or evicted within the past three years by HABC or any other public housing authority, and do not have any debts owed under any federally assisted program.

The applicable income limit is set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HABC said the income limits are changed frequently by HUD and could possibly be different when an applicant is invited for an eligibility determination by the authority.

The income limit varies based on the number of family members in the household and the category of low income. An applicant’s family annual gross income must be within HUD’s income limits by family size and HABC’s income requirements.

Applicants must submit name, phone number, email, Social Security, date of birth, current mailing address along with the listed household members’ information: Social Security number, date of birth and the source of income, in order to apply.

In 2019 more than 14,000 applications were on the waitlist when HABC decided to cease the program.

Janet Abrahams, HABC President and CEO, previously told The Baltimore Sun the authority’s goal was to place the remaining 14,000 into housing over the next 10 years.

She said after the agency worked through the list and offered housing to everyone who wants it, the list would be reopened. However, approximately 9,000 families remain on HABC’s public-housing waitlists, Ingrid Antonio, senior vice president of communications at HABC, said.

“While many efforts have been put in place over the last few years to address Baltimore’s housing crisis, there are still thousands of residents who need housing,” Antonio said in an email to The Sun. “HABC has decided to reopen the list to help individuals and families obtain housing when units become available and when they are next on the list.

“Due to the length of time that the households have been on the waiting list, HABC has found that the household [contact] information is outdated. Accordingly, HABC has decided to open the public housing waiting list, which will involve an online process.

“Opening the list has no impact to those who are currently on that list.”

HABC said applicants that were already on the waitlist may be selected before new applicants. The list is ordered by lottery position, date and time of application, HABC’s preferences, and the size and type of unit needed.

While the application is open to all who qualify, HABC has certain admission preferences that include:

Need for emergency housing (generally by referral only).

Head, co-head or spouse is employed, aged 62 or older, enrolled in a job training program, veteran or disabled. One or more family members who are disabled will qualify the household for this preference.

Families where the head, co-head or spouse is a resident of Baltimore City/ County.

Applicants who do not live in Baltimore City/ County will only be considered for assistance after the waiting list is exhausted of applicants who live in Baltimore City regardless of preference.

Applicants who are working or who have been notified that they are hired to work in the Baltimore City area will be provided with a residency preference.

HABC has three different public housing waitlists: conventional public housing designated for any family, senior housing designated for persons who are aged 62 or older, mixed population housing designed for elderly or non-elderly disabled families. Based on the information provided in the application, HABC said the authority will place applicants on each of the waitlists they qualify for.

On Aug. 1 at 9 a.m., those who are interested can apply online from any electronic device. If you do not have a device, the following locations are open to the public for use of their computers and offer assistance with online applications:

Beans and Bread: 402 S. Bond St., Baltimore, MD 21231

Franciscan Center: 101 West 23rd St., Baltimore, MD 21218

Healthcare Access Maryland: 1 North Charles St., Suite 900, Baltimore, MD 21201

Health Care for the Homeless: 421 Fallsway, Baltimore, MD 21201

My Sister’s Place: 17 West Franklin St., Baltimore, MD 21201

Our Daily Bread: 725 Fallsway, Baltimore, MD 21202

Paul’s Place: 1118 Ward St., Baltimore, MD 21230

St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore (formerly St. Ambrose): 3445 Park Heights Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215

People with disabilities can contact a call center representative for help with the preliminary application at 1-888-301-8292.

Applicants who do not speak English can also call that number to request translation services for the application.