New Senior Housing Assistance Pilot Program to Help Seniors Address Housing Affordability to Launch This Spring
Dear Prince Georgians:
Since the start of my administration, our seniors have been a top priority. That is why today, we are excited to announce the all-new Senior Housing Assistance Pilot Program. This program will help eligible seniors with temporary financial assistance to help stay in their homes. Essentially, seniors who qualify for the new pilot program will receive funds that they can use to pay their rent, mortgage, or property taxes.
The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University released a new report this past year titled, “Housing America’s Older Adults,” which found that housing is expensive for many older adults. The report found that, in 2021, over 11 million seniors spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs, which represents an all-time high. The report also found that government assistance was key to bridging the housing affordability gap for seniors, but that on a national scale, seniors with very low incomes did not receive adequate support.
With these facts in mind, last year, after the County Council passed senior living assistance legislation without a dedicated funding source, I worked with our state representatives, including former State Senator Melony Griffith, to secure $1 million to fund the Senior Housing Assistance Program. We are excited to now be working with Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development to launch this new program in mid-March of this year.
The Senior Housing Assistance Pilot Program will provide eligible seniors with up to two direct payments for their rent or mortgage. In total, each senior is eligible for up to $2,500 dollars in assistance. Seniors who are interested in applying to this new program will be able to use an online application through the County Department of Social Services. Assistance will be available to seniors ages 65 and older who live in Prince George’s County, are a tenant or homeowner with a mortgage, and who have lived in the County for at least five years. In addition, the tenant or mortgagee’s household income must be equal or less to 40% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).
It is our goal to make sure every resident of Prince George’s County has safe, stable housing that allows them to thrive, which is why we are so excited to launch this all-new program to help our seniors. If you or a loved one need housing assistance before the program opens, please contact our Department of Social Services at 301-909-7000. We encourage residents to stay tuned for more information once the application is live.
Yours in service,
Angela Alsobrooks
Prince George’s County Executive
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