The mission of the Howard County Housing Commission is to provide safe, quality, affordable, and sustainable housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income families who live or work in Howard County and to assist them in moving toward economic independence. The Commission will pursue this mission through open, efficient, innovative, and accountable processes. In pursuing our mission, we apply these six guiding principles: 1. Affordable housing should be integrated with market rate housing and not concentrated or isolated. 2. Affordable housing should compare favorably to housing in the community. 3. Affordable housing should be environmentally friendly. 4. Affordable housing should be universally designed. 5. Affordable housing should be self-sufficient. 6. Affordable housing programs should help to move participants toward economic self-sufficiency.