HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON, Section 8 / HCV PHA Profile
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON administers federal Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance, SC, with 1,804 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 · HA vs nearby SC agencies
- HA N CHARLESTON
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF N CHARLESTON
2,336 units
- SC STATE HA
SC STATE HOUSING AUTHORITY
2,217 units
- This PHA
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON (this PHA)
1,804 units
- SC REGIONAL HA NO 1
SC REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY NO 1
1,696 units
- CHARLESTON CO HSG & REDEV AUTH
CHARLESTON CO HSG & REDEV AUTH
1,112 units
- HA MYRTLE BEACH
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF MYRTLE BEACH
1,061 units
The verdict
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON administers 1,804 authorized Housing Choice Vouchers - a mid-to-large Section 8 agency nationally, larger than 88% of SC agencies.
- 1,804
- authorized Section 8 vouchers
- 91st
- percentile by size, nationally
- 88th
- percentile in SC
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON, based in SC, administers the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program with 1,804 authorized Section 8 units (Standard Performer size bracket). Waitlist status changes without much notice, so confirm directly with the agency before applying.
- 88th percentile by unit count in SC
- HUD size bracket: Standard Performer
Section 8 / HCV units
1,804
Standard Performer bracket
Total authorized units
1,252
All programs combined
State-rank percentile
88 th
Among SC PHAs
2-BR standard range · SC
$933–$1,824 /mo
Median $977/mo · 2-BR
Compared to nationwide HUD median of 62%, PHAs with high HCV share typically focus on tenant-based assistance over project-based public housing.
Where HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON 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.
1,804 Top 16% higher than 84% 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
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON: What the HUD Directory Shows
HUD authorizes 1,804 Section 8 / HCV units for this agency, against 1,252 total authorized units across every HUD program combined. That count sits inside HUD's national PIH roster of 3,780 Section 8 agencies, SC's share of the total, where HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON is listed as an active administering entity. Under HUD's PHAS scoring, this agency carries a "Standard Performer" designation, a bracket that affects how often it reports and how closely HUD oversees it.
Ranked by Section 8 unit count within SC, it sits at the 88th percentile there, ahead of 88% of SC 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. 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.
its main line is 8437203970. Use the nearby-PHA list below to broaden your waitlist strategy across the state. Across SC's 38 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard runs $933-$1,824/month (median $977); HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON 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
- 8437203970
- Fax
- 8437203977
- gbluestein@chacity.org
- Executive Director
- amilligan@chacity.org · 8435793019
How to apply at HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON
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 "HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON 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 SC's 38 HUD FMR areas, the FY2025 2-bedroom payment standard ranges $933–$1,824/month (median $977). HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON 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 SC
Waitlists open and close on their own schedules, so spreading applications across nearby PHAs improves your odds. Nearby agencies:
- SC REGIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY NO 1 · 1,696 units
- SC STATE HOUSING AUTHORITY · 2,217 units
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF N CHARLESTON · 2,336 units
- CHARLESTON CO HSG & REDEV AUTH · 1,112 units
- HOUSING AUTHORITY OF MYRTLE BEACH · 1,061 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 HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF CHARLESTON. 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.