Emergency Rental Assistance Program

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Has COVID-19 affected your ability to pay rent? You may be eligible for assistance with current or past due payments.​

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development will administer federal emergency​ rental funding in two ways, (1) directly ​to local jurisdictions through the Maryland Eviction Partnership Program to support local rental assistance efforts and (2) to property management ​on behalf of tenants residing in affordable rental properties that received federal or state financing through the Assisted Housing Relief Program. See list of eligible properties at Assisted Housing Relief Program Eligible Properties Search.

Local Emergency Rental Assistance ​- Where to Apply

Local jurisdictions will operate rental assistance programs independently. Select your county of residence to view the program details and how to apply for assistance:

Allegany

​Status: Program has closed
Program Name: Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Call: 301-777-8286
Email: housing@alleganyhrdc.org​

Baltimore County

Baltimore County has closed its Eviction Prevention Program portal. For those currently homeless or at imminent risk of housing instability, call 410-887-8463, and select option 1 for assistance. Additional resources may be found on the Baltimore County Housing Stability Website​​.​ ​

Calvert

Status: Program has closed
Program Name: Calvert County Rental Assistance
Call: 410-535-1600 x 2460

Carroll

Status: Accepting applications
Program Name: COVID-19 Rental Assistance Program
Application Information (English)
Información de la aplicación (en español)​
Call: 410-386-6620
Email: renthelp@hspinc.org​ ​

Charles

​Status: Currently not accepting applications

Program Name: Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee Covid19 Emergency Assistance
Application Information​
Call: 301-274-4474
Email: emergencyassistance@smtccac.org

Program Name: LifeStyles, Inc
Call: 301-609-9900​​

Dorchester

​Status: Currently not accepting new applications
Program Name: Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP): Landlord Assistance Program

​
Status: Currently not accepting new applications
Program Name: Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP): Tenants ​
Contacts: Delmarva Community Services, 1000 Goodwill Avenue, Cambridge, 410-901-2991 or Salvation Army, 200 Washington Street, Cambridge, 410-228-2442

Frederick

​Status: Accepting applications
Program Name: Rental Assistance Program
Call:1-800-220-9528
Email: COVIDhelp@rcehn.org​

Garrett

Status: Accepting applications
Program Name: Garrett County Community Action Committee
Application Information​

Harford

Status: Program has closed
Program Name: COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Call: 443-402-0326 ext. 222​​

Howard

Status: Accepting applications again for a limited time - March 6, 2023 through March 10, 2023, only for people who have an eviction notice.
Program Name: Rental & Utility Assistance Program; Foreclosure​ Prevention Program
Application Information​
Información de la aplicación (en español)​​​​​​​

Kent

Status: Accepting application
Program Name: Maryland Rural Development Corporation Covid-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Application Information​
Call: 410-482-2585 Ext. 233

Montgomery

​Status: Currently not accepting new applications​
Program Name: COVID-19 Rent Relief Program​​
Información de la aplicación (en español)​
Call: 240-777-0311
Email: hss@montgomerycountymd.gov​​​​​​​​​

Prince George's

Status: Currently not accepting new applications, except for limited cases where the tenant is in the court process for eviction.
Program Name: Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Application Information​​​
Call: 301-883-6504​​​​

Somerset

Status: Program has closed
Program: Covid -19 Emergency Eviction Help
Call: 410-651-1424
Email: dtcs@somersetmd.us​​

Talbot

Status: Accepting applications
Program: Talbot County Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Neighborhood Service Center​
Call: 410-822-5015​

Washington

​Status: Currently not accepting new applications
Program Name: Washington County Emergency Rental Assistance Program
Información de la aplicación (en esp​añol)​​​
Call: 301-797-4161 x100
Email: ERAP@wccac.org​​​

Worcester

Status: Currently not accepting new applications
Program Name: Worcester County Department of Social Services
Application Information
Email: Worcesterrental@maryland.gov​
Program Name: Diakonia, Inc.
Application information​

Assisted Housing ​Relief Program

​Th​e Assisted Housing Relief Program is no longer accepting applications.

The Assisted Housing Relief Program is available to tenants residing in multifamily rental communities that have received state funds or federal resources from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. To be eligible, a tenant must reside in one of the communities listed at: Assisted Housing Relief Program Eligible Properties Search.

Eligible tenants should contact their property management company for application information. Tenant applications will be collected and compiled by the property management company and submitted to the department as one single program application for the property. Applications must be submitted by the property manager through the Application Portal.​

The following must be collected for each household:

• A rent ledger for each household must be submitted to verify​ the rental delinquencies.
• Additionally, ​the following documents must be collected and kept on file for a period of no less than five (5) years, and will be made available for DHCD's review for compliance monitoring within three (3) business days from the date of the request:
  • Valid current lease identifying primary tenant as leaseholder as well as identifying the household size;
  • Income verification – this includes paystubs, W-2s or other wage statements, tax filings, bank statements demonstrating regular income, an attestation from an employer, self-attestations, etc.;
  • Tenant Certification; and
  • Tenant Worksheet.
    

  ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Prioritization of Assistance

  U.S. Treasury policies require the State of Maryland to prioritize ERAP assistance for the following two groups:

  1. Households who have annual income at or below 50% of the area median income (AMI), as determined by HUD
  2. Households who have one or more individuals who are unemployed at the time of ERAP application AND have not been employed during the last 90 days

  Local government programs receiving ERAP funds through the State of Maryland are required to process and approve applications for assistance from these two groups first. Once all applications from priority groups have been reviewed and approved, programs will begin approving applications for other eligible households.

  For bulk tenant rent relief programs using ERAP funds through the State of Maryland, assistance is prioritized for tenants in properties that provide income-based housing and/or have a high proportion of tenants with income under 50% AMI. Properties include:

  1. Housing developments that have received assistance from DHCD (such as low-income housing tax credit properties)
  2. Programs operated by Public Housing Authorities, such as Public Housing or Housing Choice Vouchers/Section 8
  3. Class C & D multifamily housing properties in census tracts that have been identified as a high priority for rental assistance by the Urban Institute. Class C & D properties typically serve lower income families.