ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY, Section 8 / HCV PHA Profile
ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY administers federal Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance, PA, with 995 authorized HCV units (HUD High Performer size bracket). Contact details, payment-standard reference, and nearby PHAs to broaden your waitlist strategy.
How this PHA compares nearby
Authorized HCV units · ALTOONA HA vs nearby PA agencies
- Scranton HA
Scranton Housing Authority
1,059 units
- WASHINGTON COUNTY HA
WASHINGTON COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY
1,016 units
- Lancaster County HA
Lancaster County Housing Authority
1,010 units
- This PHA
ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY (this PHA)
995 units
- Wilkes Barre HA
Wilkes Barre Housing Authority
967 units
- JOHNSTOWN HA
JOHNSTOWN HOUSING AUTHORITY
960 units
The verdict
ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY administers 995 authorized Housing Choice Vouchers - a mid-to-large Section 8 agency nationally, larger than 72% of PA agencies.
- 995
- authorized Section 8 vouchers
- 85th
- percentile by size, nationally
- 72nd
- percentile in PA
As a HUD-certified Public Housing Authority in PA, ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY runs Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance with 995 authorized Section 8 units (High Performer size bracket). Reach the agency directly for current waitlist status and application steps.
- 72nd percentile by unit count in PA
- HUD size bracket: High Performer
Section 8 / HCV units
995
High Performer bracket
Total authorized units
525
All programs combined
State-rank percentile
72 th
Among PA PHAs
2-BR standard range · PA
$908–$1,802 /mo
Median $966/mo · 2-BR
The nationwide HUD median sits at 62%; agencies running a higher HCV share than that tend to lean toward tenant-based vouchers rather than project-based public housing stock.
Where ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY sits among U.S. PHAs
By authorized Housing Choice Vouchers, across every PHA that runs them. Most are small; a handful of big-city authorities run the long right tail.
995 Top 26% higher than 74% of 2,129 voucher-running PHAs
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more voucher-running PHAs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source HUD PIH authorized-unit directory · FY2025
ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY: What the HUD Directory Shows
Under HUD's PHAS scoring, this agency carries a "High Performer" designation, a bracket that affects how often it reports and how closely HUD oversees it. ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY is one of 3,780 agencies HUD tracks in its PIH Open Data directory for the Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher program operating in PA. HUD authorizes 995 Section 8 / HCV units for this agency, against 525 total authorized units across every HUD program combined.
HUD logs its program type as "Combined," which determines which voucher streams (regular HCV, VASH, Family Unification, Mainstream, or project-based conversions) it can run. Ranked by Section 8 unit count within PA, it sits at the 72nd percentile there, ahead of 72% of PA PHAs by that measure. HUD sets the ceiling; each PHA still runs its own waitlist, admissions plan, and local preferences under the federal Section 8 rulebook, so the number above caps capacity without guaranteeing an open list today.
Across PA's 52 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard runs $908-$1,802/month (median $966); ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY sets its own figure within 90-110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent for the specific area it serves, so confirm the exact number for your metro before signing anything. its main line is 8149492000. Use the nearby-PHA list below to broaden your waitlist strategy across the state.
Contact this PHA
- Phone
- 8149492000
- Fax
- 8149492025
- cheryljohns@altoonahousing.org
- Executive Director
- cheryl.johns@altoonahousing.org · 8149492026
How to apply at ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY
How to apply at this PHA
Before applying, confirm whether this PHA's waitlist is currently open. Waitlist status can change without much notice, some PHAs open for as little as 72 hours at a time. Application channels typically include:
- The PHA's own website (search "ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY Section 8 application")
- A public notice posted at the PHA office or in the legal notices of the local newspaper
- HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in the area
- Local legal-aid and tenant-advocacy groups
See our step-by-step How to Apply for Section 8 guide for the full federal application process.
What to expect, typical waitlist
HUD does not publish current waitlist open/closed status centrally, and waitlist lengths vary sharply by local demand. In high-cost metros, waits can exceed 5–10 years and many waitlists are closed. In smaller cities and rural counties, waits of 6 months to 3 years are more typical. Some PHAs use a lottery rather than first-come-first-served. This site does not predict your individual wait time. Contact the PHA directly to confirm the current list status and whether local preferences apply to your household. Our waitlist strategy guide explains how to maximize your odds by applying to multiple PHAs.
Payment standard reference
Payment standards are set per HUD FMR area, not per agency. Across PA's 52 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard ranges $908–$1,802/month (median $966). ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY sets its own figure within 90–110% of HUD's Fair Market Rent for the specific area it serves.
Find your exact number: look up the 2-, 1-, and 3-bedroom payment standards for your metro with the payment-standard lookup tool, then confirm the current figure with the PHA before signing a lease. See our Payment Standards vs. FMR guide.
Nearby PHAs in PA
A closed waitlist here doesn't rule out the region, applying to several nearby PHAs at once is the standard workaround. Agencies close by:
- Lancaster County Housing Authority · 1,010 units
- WASHINGTON COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY · 1,016 units
- Wilkes Barre Housing Authority · 967 units
- JOHNSTOWN HOUSING AUTHORITY · 960 units
- Scranton Housing Authority · 1,059 units
Related guides
Source: HUD PIH Open Data (FY25). Last compiled April 2026. Payment-standard figures: Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rent FY2025. If any contact detail has changed, please email corrections@plainvoucher.com. See our methodology for how we compile and cross-reference this data.
⚠ Disclaimer. PlainVoucher is not affiliated with HUD or with ALTOONA HOUSING AUTHORITY. Data here is compiled from HUD public sources for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for consulting the PHA directly about eligibility, waitlist status, or application procedures.