Columbia Housing Authority

Columbia Housing Authority, a U.S. local government entity and Public Housing Agency headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, receives federal grant funding as a recipient (not a contractor) from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to operate and improve public housing stock and deliver homelessness-prevention services. Columbia Housing Authority competes for and receives formula grants under HUD's Public and Indian Housing Office (CFDA 14.850, 14.872) and project grants under HUD's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development (CFDA 14.267, 14.896), with all 280 recent awards in the source portfolio held as prime recipient awards.

HUD funding concentration is extreme. The Department of Housing and Urban Development Public and Indian Housing Office accounts for 226 of 280 awards (81% by count) and dominates the obligated-dollar footprint through recurring formula grants for public housing operations and capital improvements. The Public Housing Operating Fund (CFDA 14.850) delivers multi-year operating subsidies to sustain day-to-day property management, maintenance, anti-crime initiatives, energy costs, resident supportive services, insurance, and administrative expenses across Columbia Housing Authority's public housing portfolio. Recent operating-fund awards include obligated amounts of $788,047, $1,050,216, $435,896, $393,232, and $223,094, each running through December 2031 or 2032 under formula-grant methodology. The Public Housing Capital Fund (CFDA 14.872) funds modernization, development, and infrastructure improvements; Columbia Housing Authority received a $5.7 million formula grant effective April 2026 through March 2030 supporting capital projects specified in its HUD-approved 5-year action plan. The Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development contributes 53 awards (19% by count) through competitive Continuum of Care (CFDA 14.267) project grants addressing homelessness—three awards each carried $315,060, $268,925, and $418,238 for permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, and HMIS operations in the Columbia metropolitan area (Oct 2025 through Sep 2026, with additional awards effective Nov 2025 through Oct 2026). Columbia Housing Authority also holds a single Family Self-Sufficiency (CFDA 14.896) project grant ($140,414 obligated Jan 2026 through Dec 2026) to fund coordinator salaries for employment and economic mobility services to low-income families in public housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs.

Activity has remained flat in the past five years—14 to 16 awards annually from 2022 through 2024, declining modestly to 13 awards in 2025 and 10 through April 2026. Fifteen awards carry ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months, representing the annualized recompete and renewal cycle typical of formula and project-grant recipients. Columbia Housing Authority does not hold federal contracts or compete on federal procurement vehicles; its entire footprint consists of grant awards from HUD's Public Housing and homelessness-prevention programs. The single sub-award visible in the source (a $140,414 sub-recipient role under the South Carolina Department of Public Health's teen pregnancy prevention program, obligated Oct 2024) represents incidental sub-recipient activity, not a core business posture. Combined obligated dollars across the portfolio total $255.4 million, distributed across three distinct federal agencies (HUD accounts for virtually all), with the remaining $255.4 million concentrated in HUD's two grant-issuing offices serving housing authorities and homelessness intervention nationwide.