Program Saves Almost 1K Baltimore County Families From Eviction

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — A special pilot program has been formed to help families struggling to pay their rent. As the first-of-its-kind effort in Maryland, Baltimore County’s Strategic Targeted Eviction Prevention pilot program so far has provided $4 million in rent assistance to 935 households across Baltimore County.

Funded through a combination of state and local CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars, Baltimore County’s STEP program provides between three to nine months of past-due rent for vulnerable households with seniors and/or children who have lost income due to the coronavirus pandemic. The program evolved through a partnership between Baltimore County and United Way of Central Maryland.

“We are doing all we can to promote housing stability and support families who are struggling with their rent, which is especially important during the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski said. “Thanks to this innovative partnership with United Way of Central Maryland, we will be able to move quickly to help families in need.”

Unlike traditional rent relief programs, which require tenants to apply individually the STEP program bundles large numbers of past-due accounts for preventing evictions in bulk. To maximize impact, the STEP pilot focused on large class C and D apartment complexes, which typically involve households most at risk of eviction.

“Our data showed that 30 to 40 million renters nationwide faced the possibility of eviction at the end of 2020. This partnership with Baltimore County is allowing us to target the most vulnerable households in our communities,” Franklyn Baker, president and CEO of United Way of Central Maryland, said. “With continued layoffs and the cumulative effects of financial disruptions, this program comes just in time to help us keep more families in their homes and to continue our fight for stable, secure housing for all.”

The county and United Way of Central Maryland used local data to target Baltimore County communities facing structural poverty and have the highest risk of housing instability, food insecurity and impact from reported coronavirus cases. The pilot program is focused on ZIP codes in Essex, Halethorpe, Dundalk, Parkville, Gwynn Oak, Windsor Mill, Owings Mills, Middle River and Rosedale.

As a result of combined outreach efforts, United Way of Central Maryland and Maryland Multi-Housing Association recruited 23 management companies with 91 properties in the priority zip codes to participate in the pilot program. In order to participate, landlords agreed to forgive 20 percent of the past due rent, waive all fees and costs, and dismiss already filed eviction complaints.

In December, qualifying tenants residing in properties participating in the STEP pilot were invited to apply for relief. By Feb. 18, the STEP program was able to provide $4 million in rental assistance to 935 households.

Since March 2020, Baltimore County has allocated nearly $11 million for eviction prevention, as well as $250,000 for supportive services such as tenant advocacy and legal services. Additionally, as a part of its ongoing coronavirus response, Baltimore County and partners have distributed more than 13 million meals to residents, provided over 100,000 free personal protective equipment kits to residents, and provided school-aged childcare subsidies to county families that qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.