Most Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) – commonly known as housing authorities – are still open; but are operating on a limited basis. Affordable housing Online has checked the status of numerous housing authority office operations nationwide, and there is no common scenario.
June, 2020 Update: In certain areas of the country, housing authorities are starting to open back up to the public on a limited basis. There still will usually be a maximum number of people allowed in the office at one time, and appointments may have to be scheduled to visit the office in person.
Many offices that are closed to the public still have staff working in the office or off-site. Some of these offices have a drop box installed outside of the office that allows applicants and residents to submit required documents. There are also some offices that have an intercom installed outside of the office, so you can speak with staff directly. Some offices are also open to the public on an extremely limited basis. In these cases, a limited number of persons can be in the building at the same time.
Communication is generally still being conducted by phone, email and mail. But due to these unorthodox times, expect a long wait time to reach a representative and/or receive a response to your inquiry. If a housing authority runs a website or social media page, chances are that there’s a COVID-19 update explaining their change in office operations.
