Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency, Section 8 / HCV PHA Profile
Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency administers federal Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance, IA, with 3,702 authorized HCV units (HUD Standard Performer size bracket). Contact details, payment-standard reference, and nearby PHAs to broaden your waitlist strategy.
How this PHA compares nearby
Authorized HCV units · Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency vs nearby IA agencies
- This PHA
Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency (this PHA)
3,702 units
- Iowa City HA 1,431
Iowa City Housing Authority
1,431 units
- Cedar Rapids Housing Services 1,316
Cedar Rapids Housing Services
1,316 units
- City of Sioux City HA 1,221
City of Sioux City Housing Authority
1,221 units
- Southern Iowa Regional HA 1,132
Southern Iowa Regional Housing Authority
1,132 units
- City of Dubuque 1,125
City of Dubuque
1,125 units
The verdict
Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency administers 3,702 authorized Housing Choice Vouchers - among the largest Section 8 agencies in the country, the largest in IA.
- 3,702
- authorized Section 8 vouchers
- 96th
- percentile by size, nationally
- 99th
- percentile in IA
Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency is a Public Housing Authority in IA administering Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers with 3,702 authorized Section 8 units (Standard Performer size bracket). Contact this PHA directly to check waitlist status and request an application.
- 99th percentile by unit count in IA
- HUD size bracket: Standard Performer
Section 8 / HCV units
3,702
Standard Performer bracket
Total authorized units
410
All programs combined
State-rank percentile
99 th
Among IA PHAs
2-BR standard range · IA
$877–$1,261 /mo
Median $877/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 Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency 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.
3,702 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency: What the HUD Directory Shows
HUD authorizes 3,702 Section 8 / HCV units for this agency, against 410 total authorized units across every HUD program combined. That count sits inside HUD's national PIH roster of 3,780 Section 8 agencies, IA's share of the total, where Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency is listed as an active administering entity. HUD's PHAS system places it in the "Standard Performer" size bracket, which shapes reporting cadence and oversight intensity.
Ranked by Section 8 unit count within IA, it sits at the 99th percentile there, ahead of 99% of IA PHAs by that measure. 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. The federal rulebook lets every PHA set its own waitlist rules, admissions plan, and local preferences, so this authorized-unit total is best read as a program cap, not a live vacancy count.
its main line is 5153238950. Use the nearby-PHA list below to broaden your waitlist strategy across the state. Across IA's 92 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard runs $877-$1,261/month (median $877); Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency 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.
Contact this PHA
- Phone
- 5153238950
- Fax
- 5152422844
- CMJohansen@dmgov.org
- Executive Director
- CMJohansen@dmgov.org · 5153238976
How to apply at Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency
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 "Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency 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 IA's 92 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard ranges $877–$1,261/month (median $877). Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency 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 IA
Waitlists open and close on their own schedules, so spreading applications across nearby PHAs improves your odds. Nearby agencies:
- Iowa City Housing Authority · 1,431 units
- Cedar Rapids Housing Services · 1,316 units
- City of Sioux City Housing Authority · 1,221 units
- Southern Iowa Regional Housing Authority · 1,132 units
- City of Dubuque · 1,125 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 Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency. 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.