HoCo Residents Can Apply For Help Paying Rent Starting Monday

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Starting Monday, Howard County residents can apply for financial assistance to pay past due rent payments in order to prevent eviction. The $1.5 million in housing payment relief is being allocated through local nonprofit partnerships. Applicants must be Howard County residents, provide proof of home address and provide evidence of loss of income due to coronavirus-related job loss, reduction in hours and/or medical illness. The maximum assistance per household is three months of housing expense.

“With more than 23,000 renters in the county, the need for housing payment assistance and eviction prevention will likely exceed the $770,356 we received in federal relief, which is why we allocated an additional $800,000,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “Our local nonprofits will be accepting applications and providing funding assistance directly to residents to ensure that they receive the support they need to stay safely housed. As we continue to battle this virus, we must provide the necessary relief and services to make sure no one falls through the cracks.”

Residents may contact one of the participating providers for an application:

· Community Action Council, cac-hc.org, 410-313-6440

· The United Way, uwcm.org, 211

· Grassroots, grassrootcrisis.org, evictionprevention@grassrootscrisis.org, 410-531-6677

· Family and Children’s Services, fcsmd.org, lspivey@fcsmd.org, 443-864-0379

· Foreign-Born Information and Referral Network (FIRN), firnonline.org, housinghelp@firnonline.org, 443-276-3166

Applicants must also meet maximum household income limits, which are based on 80 percent of the Howard County area median income.