Baltimore to soon stop taking housing applications
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Housing Authority of Baltimore City says they will soon stop accepting applications because more than 14,000 applicants are already on a waitlist that's averaging a wait time of more than five years.
News outlets report the agency announced Tuesday that residents have until Dec. 13 to apply for public housing before the authority stops taking applications.
Housing President Janet Abrahams says continuing to accept applications would be performing a disservice and would create a false sense of accommodation security.
Abrahams says public housing is under-invested, causing a severe shortage.
A news release says officials "streamlined" the waitlist this year, reducing the total applications from 27,000 to 14,000, but the wait time is still averaging between five to seven years.
The release says the Housing Choice Voucher Program is also closed.