Housing Authorities are your first point-of-contact when getting housing assistance. To get started, use the map below to find your local housing authority.
Housing Authorities by State
What are Housing Authorities?
Housing Authorities are federally regulated, non-profit organizations that work closely with local, state, and federal government to improve housing outcomes in local communities.
There are 3,869 Housing Authorities across the US in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, and the Mariana Islands.
Housing Authorities may also be called Public Housing Authorities or Public Housing Agencies. You may see the terms abbreviated as "HA" or "PHA". These terms are identical.
What do Housing Authorities do?
Housing Authorities oversee public housing and section 8 programs in a local geographic area such as a single county, metropolitan area, or multiple counties in rural areas.
Housing Authorities are in charge of maintaining public housing, inspecting and approving properties that qualify for section 8, and guiding prospective tenets into affordable housing.
If you are interested in getting housing assistance, your local Housing Authority should be your first point of contact. They can tell you if you qualify, how much assistance you qualify for, and what properties are available.
Note: Almost Housing Authorities have a lengthy wait list for housing assistance. There are far more people who need assistance than there are units available. The wait times can be over 1-2 years.
How are Housing Authorities Funded?
Housing Authorities do not receive funding from state or local governments. PHAs are funded entirely by the federal government through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Housing Authorities receive funding through
- the Public Housing Operating Fund, which covers the difference between rents paid by tenets and the operating costs, and
- the Public Housing Capital Fund, which is intended to cover the cost of renovations, repairs, and other capital expenditures.
Due to decades of underfunding, public housing projects, overseen by local Housing Authorities, are deteriorating. The number of public housing units in the US has fallen by more than 250,000 units sense the 1990s. Many units were demolished due to deteriorating conditions due to long-term underfunding.
The creation of new public housing units has not been funded since the mid-1990s.
Want to Learn More?
- Loan Limits to learn about conventional loans
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- Income Limits to learn about income assistance
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Housing Authorities are approved by the HUD. This website uses the FCC Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the FCC.
Last updated on February 25, 2020