Baltimore County is getting $17 million in federal funds to help at least 1,500 families avoid eviction.
County Executive Johnny Olszewski announced today that the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program has given the county the money.
The county says it has already helped 5,500 families avoid eviction since the start of the pandemic, and has already invested about $98 million in rental assistance.
Olszewski said in a statement:
We have a moral obligation to do everything we can to help keep families in their homes, and we have worked diligently since the beginning of the pandemic to do just that. This new funding will allow us to continue these critical efforts – every family that we can help avoid eviction is one that doesn’t end up without a roof over their heads.
The county will allocate $11 million of the new funding to the United Way of Central Maryland, which uses the Strategic Eviction Prevention Program to identify the most vulnerable households who lost income due to COVID.
The other $6 million will be distributed through the county's Eviction Prevention Program, which partners with Associated Catholic Charities, Community Assistance Network, House of Ruth, Jewish Community Services, St. Francis Episcopal Housing, Latino Economic Development Center, and St. Vincent de Paul.
The county says it has also invested almost $650,000 in free access to legal counsel for tenants. Residents who need housing-related legal services can contact self-help centers through 410-260-1392, or through an online chat.
More information about the county's eviction prevention services is available here: https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/departments/housing/eviction-prevention-program
Those currently homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless are advised to call 410-887-8463 for assistance.
