Everyone who applied for the low-income public housing waitlist in Baltimore in August will be added to the line.

When the Housing Authority of Baltimore City opened waitlist applications in early August, for the first time in four years, they had originally intended to cap the new waitlist at 13,000. On Wednesday, the authority announced that they would be taking all 29,812 applicants who applied over the two-week period last month.

“We believe this will effectively broaden housing opportunities for fair housing to low-income families in Baltimore City,” said HABC CEO Janet Abrahams through a press-release.

The authority made the decision to broaden the waitlist after seeing the crush of applicants: around 17,000 people applied on just the first day.

“That… makes it so very clear that there is a need for affordable housing in Baltimore,” said Ingrid Antonio, HABC communications vice president, in an interview with WYPR.

In 2019, the authority made the decision to close the waitlist, citing concerns that it was growing too long with wait times averaging around five years. There was also the issue of contact information becoming outdated after so many years.

Antonio couldn’t say how long average wait times will be this time around, noting that they “vary” depending on individual needs, family size, etc. She did feel confident that the authority can manage the list “effectively.”

“The most important thing is that we get people on those lists so that they have an equal opportunity to receive housing as soon as it's made available,” said Antonio.

People currently on the waitlist for public housing will be unaffected, as of early August that was around 9,000 families.

The authority says that applicants’ place on the list will be determined by a random number sequence generator. Once their place has been determined, applicants will still need to do an eligibility interview.

Antonio urges people to be prepared for that by gathering necessary documents including but not limited to birth certificates, proof of disability or childcare expenses, valid photo identification, source of income, public assistance, expenses and statements for any assets exceeding $50,000.

HABC also has plans to open applications for the Housing Choice Voucher Program waitlist, formerly known as Section 8, on October 2nd and keep it open through October 13th.