HUD PIH directory · Section 8 / HCV

Howard County Housing Commission, Section 8 / HCV PHA profile

Howard County Housing Commission administers federal Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance, MD, with 1,184 authorized HCV units (HUD Substandard Financial size bracket). Contact details, payment-standard reference, and nearby PHAs to broaden your waitlist strategy.

1,184
Authorized HCV units
78th
National size percentile
64th
MD size percentile
15
MD FMR areas
HUD PIH FY25 directory MD · Section 8 / HCV 1,184 HCV units Substandard Financial bracket 64th percentile in MD
Browse all MD PHAs

How this PHA compares nearby

Authorized HCV units · Howard County Housing Commission vs nearby MD agencies

units
Source HUD PIH authorized-unit directory As of FY2025

The verdict

Howard County Housing Commission administers 1,184 authorized Housing Choice Vouchers - a mid-to-large Section 8 agency nationally, larger than 64% of MD agencies.

1,184
authorized Section 8 vouchers
78th
percentile by size, nationally
64th
percentile in MD
D
Composite Score
49/100
Howard County Housing Commission

Based on authorized voucher scale, HUD's own PHAS performance designation, and state-wide housing-cost context from federal sources -- not wait-list length, application difficulty, unit quality, or day-to-day service experience.

Scale B+
1,184 units
Authorized Section 8 / HCV units, national percentile among reporting PHAs
HUD Performance F
Substandard Financial
HUD's own Public Housing Assessment System (PHAS) designation
Cost Context F
$1,314/mo
State-wide median 2BR payment standard (15 areas, 2026) -- not this PHA's specific service area
1,184 Section 8 units

HUD's directory lists Howard County Housing Commission in MD with a reported Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher authorization with 1,184 authorized Section 8 units (Substandard Financial size bracket). Verify current programs, availability, and application steps directly with the agency.

  • 64th percentile by unit count in MD
  • HUD size bracket: Substandard Financial
Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.

Section 8 / HCV units

1,184

Mid-to-large nationally · Substandard Financial bracket

Total authorized units

-

not reported

State-rank percentile

64 th

Above median among MD PHAs

2-BR standard range · MD

$973–$2,246 /mo

Median $1,314/mo · 2-BR

Scale profile for Howard County Housing Commission

With 1,184 authorized Housing Choice Voucher units, Howard County Housing Commission sits at the 78th percentile of every U.S. PHA that reports an HCV ceiling , and at the 64th percentile inside MD. That puts it among the larger local administrators of federal rental assistance, not a single-office rural authority.

Across MD's 15 HUD FMR areas, FY2026 2-bedroom payment standards run $973–$2,246/month (median $1,314). A large PHA like this typically serves more than one FMR area, so applicants should look up the metro-specific standard rather than treating the state median as their number. 5 other MD PHAs appear in the nearby list below; comparing authorized-unit counts there shows whether Howard County Housing Commission is the dominant local issuer or one of several large peers.

Section 8 / HCV share of Howard County Housing Commission authorized units 100.0%
HUD nationwide median

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 Howard County Housing Commission 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.

1,184 Top 22% higher than 78% of 2,129 voucher-running PHAs

0–10,000: 2,086 voucher-running PHAs (98%). This entry sits in this band. 10,000–20,000: 29 voucher-running PHAs (1%). Above this entry. 20,000–30,000: 8 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 30,000–40,000: 1 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 40,000–50,000: 1 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 50,000–60,000: 3 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 60,000–70,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 70,000–80,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 80,000–90,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 90,000–100,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 100,000–110,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 110,000–120,000: 0 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. 120,000–130,000: 1 voucher-running PHAs (0%). Above this entry. This PHA 0 130,000 every voucher-running PHA, bucketed by value

Each bar is a 10,000-wide 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

What HUD's PIH Record for Howard County Housing Commission Tells You

HUD authorizes 1,184 Section 8 / HCV units for this agency. That count sits inside HUD's national PIH roster of 3,780 Section 8 agencies, MD's share of the total, where Howard County Housing Commission is listed as an active administering entity. Under HUD's PHAS scoring, this agency carries a "Substandard Financial" designation, a bracket that affects how often it reports and how closely HUD oversees it.

HUD's directory categorizes it under the "Combined" program type, the classification that governs which voucher streams -- regular HCV, VASH, Family Unification, Mainstream, or project-based conversions -- it is eligible to run. Ranked by Section 8 unit count within MD, it sits at the 64th percentile there, ahead of 64% of MD PHAs by that measure. The HUD directory records an authorized-unit count, not a live vacancy or admissions status. Verify current program details directly with the agency.

its main line is 4435187800. Verify current programs, availability, and any application path directly with the agency. Across MD's 15 HUD FMR areas, the FY2026 2-bedroom payment standard runs $973-$2,246/month (median $1,314); Howard County Housing Commission sets its own figure within 90-110 percent 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
4435187800
Fax
4435187829
Email
pengel@househoward.org
Executive Director
pengel@househoward.org · 4435187825
How to apply at Howard County Housing Commission

How to use this PHA record

HUD's directory reports 1,184 authorized Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher units for Howard County Housing Commission. That is a reported authorization field, not a live waitlist, application, eligibility, or availability feed.

Use the contact details above to verify an agency's current programs and instructions directly. PlainVoucher does not predict an individual wait time, recommend an application path, or infer a household's eligibility from this directory record.

Payment standard reference

Payment standards are set per HUD FMR area, not per agency. Across MD's 15 HUD FMR areas, the FY2026 2-bedroom payment standard ranges $973–$2,246/month (median $1,314). These are area reference amounts, not a payment promise from Howard County Housing Commission for a particular household or unit.

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 agency before relying on it. See our Payment Standards vs. FMR guide for the source-backed area context.

Nationwide PHAs with similar voucher scale or total HUD inventory

Two cross-state peer sets for Howard County Housing Commission, outside MD so they are not the same-state scale matches above.

Similar authorized HCV units

Nearest nationwide agencies outside MD (1,184 HCV units here).

Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on HUD PIH authorized Section 8 units and total program inventory; agencies below 100 units on a metric are excluded from that axis.

Nearby PHAs in MD

Use these separate MD directory records for comparison; verify current programs with each agency directly:

Compare PHAs in MD side by side →

What to do with this PHA profile

Howard County Housing Commission is a HUD PIH directory record with 1,184 authorized HCV units.

  • Open the Maryland state directory for PHA-count vs authorized-HCV context. Maryland PHAs
  • Look up the HUD Fair Market Rent schedule that covers this market before reading payment-standard ranges. Payment standards
  • Read the process guides for waitlists, income limits, and portability - they explain HUD rules, not whether a household should apply. Guides hub

PlainVoucher is not affiliated with HUD or this PHA. Directory figures are informational only. Eligibility, waitlist status, and application routes are set by the PHA and change frequently - confirm with the agency directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the HUD record show for Howard County Housing Commission?

HUD's PIH directory reports 1,184 authorized Section 8 / Housing Choice Voucher units for Howard County Housing Commission in MD. That authorization is a reported program-size field, not proof of a current waitlist, application route, eligibility decision, or available voucher.

Can I apply through this Howard County Housing Commission profile?

No. PlainVoucher's HUD directory record does not carry a live application or waitlist feed. Use the agency contact details to verify current programs, availability, application instructions, and eligibility directly before relying on this profile.

Is Howard County Housing Commission part of HUD?

HUD lists Howard County Housing Commission in its Public and Indian Housing directory as a local Public Housing Authority. This profile preserves HUD's reported record and contact fields; it does not establish the agency's current services or policies.

How should I read the payment-standard reference?

Payment standards vary by HUD Fair Market Rent area. PlainVoucher shows the published area reference, not a payment promise for a specific agency, household, or unit; confirm the current local figure directly before signing a lease.

Related guides

Source: HUD PIH Open Data (FY25). The PHA directory source was consolidated in April 2026. Payment-standard figures: Source: HUD USER Fair Market Rent FY2026. 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 Howard County Housing Commission. Data here is compiled from HUD public sources for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for consulting the PHA directly about eligibility, waitlist status, or application procedures.

Read our methodology, how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. · Verify with HUD →

Source and method. PlainVoucher compiles public HUD and U.S. Census release data into a searchable reference. Release periods and source boundaries are identified on each data surface; PlainVoucher does not determine eligibility, waitlist status, payment standards, or local PHA rules. Read our editorial standards and corrections policy, methodology, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-09-02.