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PRESS RELEASE
Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young Commits $13 Million to Rental Assistance
Program aims to protect renters, provide housing stability through rental assistance program.
BALTIMORE, MD. — Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young today committed $13 million of Community Development Block Grant-CV (CDBG-CV) funds for the establishment of a temporary rental assistance program. Mayor Young issued the following statement:
“The impact of this COVID-19 emergency on housing stability has been a concern of mine from the very start,” Mayor Young said. “We acted quickly by calling for a halt on evictions, but the moratorium on evictions is not enough on its own. We need to prepare for the ongoing crisis caused by lost income and the risk of evictions caused by COVID-19 impacts.”
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), contains several housing-related provisions, including the CDBG-CV funds that localities are slated to receive. Mayor Young indicated that the program should be operational within the next few weeks.
“In addition to the human cost of families potentially becoming homeless, the eviction, shelter, and re-housing process would be a high cost for both landlords and the City,” Mayor Young said. “The use of these funds to stave off evictions potentially caused by COVID-19 will help workers who have lost their income and are behind on their rent. Protecting renters from eviction during the COVID-19 recovery phase will also help protect the city’s overall economic health.”
The City’s Housing Commissioner, Michael Braverman, is working with stakeholders, including housing advocates and the rental industry, to establish the rental assistance program. The Mayor also thanked the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which is providing technical assistance to help develop the program.
"We appreciate the Mayor earmarking these funds to help those renters who have lost income due to the Pandemic's effects," said Housing Commissioner Michael Braverman. "We are going to work quickly to bring these critical resources and relief to city residents."
“The Mayor’s rental assistance and eviction prevention program is an excellent start to address the looming wave of evictions as unemployment soars and tens of thousands of families cannot pay rent,” Public Justice Center attorney Matt Hill said. “These funds will be invaluable to assist with past due rent and to provide legal counsel to tenants and hold landlords accountable for complying with the law. We look forward to continuing to work with the Mayor and City Council on additional steps to ensure safe, stable, healthy housing for City residents.”
“The health, safety, and well-being of our residents must be addressed as we work to recover from this pandemic,” Mayor Young said. “Helping people remain in their homes is of fundamental importance at this time.”
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