MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (WDVM) — The Montgomery County Council heard from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the Sheriff’s Office regarding COVID-19 Housing Relief in the county.
Since May of 2020, $65 million in COVID-19 assistance has been provided to more than 9,100 renters in the county. However, housing instability in the county has continued to be a problem.
Numbers presented to Council show that over 60,000 households spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. On top of issues paying rent, people in the county also struggle to afford utilities. For example, W.W.S.C. Water is reporting over $20 million in arrears.
The county was looking forward to the second round of Emergency Rental Assistance from the federal government after getting $28 million last year.
According to Amanda Harris, the Chief of the Services to End and Prevent Homelessness with the Department of Health and Human Services, they expected to get between $20 and $30 million this year. Instead, Harris explained, the county was allotted for a lot less. “We are receiving $6.5 million, which is a huge drop and will have really dire consequences on the program,” she said. Due to the funding changes, D.H.H.S. is proposing to only help with past due rent rather than future rent.
The county is anticipating three thousand to thirty-five hundred applications within the first month of reopening the portal.
