By Madison Disney
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday that Baltimore and Maryland’s 23 counties can now apply for $16 million in grants to help them prevent tenants from being evicted from their apartments.
Hogan said applications are being accepted until Oct. 2, with awards expected to be distributed two to three weeks later to those applications that are approved.
“Maryland was one of the first states in the nation to implement a moratorium on evictions for tenants affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and we have backed that up with targeted relief programs,” Hogan said during a press conference. “These grants will help ensure more of our citizens can remain safe and secure in their homes.”
The grants are part of the Maryland Eviction Prevention Partnership that was set up earlier this year to support local rental assistance programs that protect tenants who are struggling financially because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The funding comes through federal Community Development Block Grants and is distributed by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Each local jurisdiction uses the money to run their own rental assistance programs.
The announcement Wednesday represents the next step in the state’s efforts to stop evictions. In June, Hogan committed to spending $30 million to stop evictions. The first round of Maryland Eviction Prevention Partnership grants came in July, when the state distributed $2.2 million to eight counties.
Under the grant program, recipients of rental assistance may not earn more than 80 percent of the area median income, according to a written statement issues by the governor’s office. The statement said recipients must also show that they lost their jobs or had their work hours reduced because of the pandemic.
Each jurisdiction is eligible to receive funding, said Owen McEvoy, the director of public information for the governor’s office. He said there is not a limit on what the city or counties can receive.
“There is not a cap, but we are committed to ensuring all jurisdictions receive funding,” McEvoy said.
In addition to managing their own partnerships with management companies, McEvoy said, each jurisdiction has set up their own programs to use the funding they receive appropriately and efficiently for their residents.
The city and counties will each have to demonstrate a demand for help through requests from their renters, property management and other factors, McEvoy said.
Hogan issued an executive order on March 16 to prohibit evictions of tenants who are unable to pay rent because they lost their jobs due to Covid-19.
Last spring, the state launched the Assisted Housing Relief Program, which provides tenants living in DHCD-financed properties who are affected by the pandemic with four-month rent rebate vouchers. The rebates can be used to pay the renter’s landlord. The program has already awarded nearly $6 million in funding to over 3,000 working families to combat the issue of eviction.