FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Housing Authority of Baltimore City Helps Hundreds More Residents Find New Homes This Year
Almost 1,700 new lease admissions, up 30% over last year
BALTIMORE | December 20, 2022 - The Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) announced today there were 1,691 new admissions for residents who found homes this year through the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP), marking a 30 percent increase compared to 2021.
There are more than 13,000 residents currently enrolled in the HCVP, a program that helps Baltimore’s low-income families offset the cost of rent for affordable, safe housing. HABC’s efforts to create more housing opportunities to place residents and families are in part a result of the increase in new admissions.
In October, HABC started offering a $1,500 sign-on bonus to property owners who become landlords through HCVP and provide new affordable units. Since the initiative launched, 70 new landlords qualified to receive this incentive and have provided new housing units.
“We continue to explore every opportunity that can provide more affordable housing options for families in need,” said HABC President and CEO Janet Abrahams. “We recognize there is a housing shortage and a great need for affordable housing. Just as important, we need quality landlords who are invested in Baltimore communities to participate in this program.”
While new admissions are up from 1,303 recorded last year, there are still more than 1,800 voucher holders searching for a home to live.
“Although we have hundreds of landlords already in our program, we still have a lot of work ahead of us to create affordable housing opportunities for everyone in need of a home,” said Abrahams. “We have put forth many programs and initiatives over the last year to help provide quality housing and keep the city informed of our progress. And we will intensify those efforts in 2023.”
HABC has launched a new, web-based Strategic Plan Dashboard that allows residents and other stakeholders to track HABC’s progress in its 10-year strategic plan. The ”Pathways to Success” Strategic Plan, launched by HABC in 2019 to advance its mission and vision, is structured into four priority areas: Sustain, Advocate, Innovate, and Transform. Each priority area includes several core objectives (19 in total), and each objective in turn includes specific strategies and tasks (88 in total) to accomplish those objectives.
“The Strategic Plan Dashboard is a testament to our commitment to move forward with the wide-ranging goals of the Strategic Plan, and to be fully transparent about how we’re doing,” said Abrahams. “Through this Dashboard, families, landlords, advocates, elected officials and other stakeholders can quickly gauge our progress toward these important efforts to preserve and expand affordable housing in Baltimore.”
In addition, HABC also provides a dashboard to track the progress over the Perkins Somerset, Old Town Transformation Plan, a vibrant mixed income community with affordable and market rate housing, a new 21st Century school, new community amenities and opportunities, neighborhood improvements, and a supportive services plan aimed at helping families meet their goals.
As of the end of 2022, 104 new units have been completed and 367 are under construction that are part of the PSO Plan.
“Working together, we can help provide quality housing opportunities to qualified families in Baltimore City,” said Abrahams.
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About HABC
HABC is the fifth largest public housing authority in the U.S., providing quality affordable housing for more than 23,000 households. The agency creates diverse and vibrant communities, provides opportunities for self-sufficiency, and builds pathways for strong partnerships. #bmoreHABC
