Evictions Prohibited

“This Saturday (August 1st), many residents will face another month of missed rent due to income loss from COVID-19,” said County Executive Calvin Ball. “It’s critical that tenants are aware of their rights. Under the current Executive Order issued by Governor Hogan, a court cannot order the eviction of any tenant who can show that their failure to pay rent was a result of COVID-19. While we’ve allocated $1.5 million towards rental and eviction relief, and promoted other relief programs, we know that this crisis is far from over.” 
 
Examples of COVID-19 related rent delinquency include losing employment, needing to care for a school-aged child, or being diagnosed with COVID-19. An additional emergency order prohibits electric, gas, water, sewage, phone, cable TV, and internet service provider companies from shutting off any residential customer’s service or charging any late fees. For additional assistance with housing needs, utility shutoffs, family or financial issues, tenants should contact Maryland 2-1-1 by calling 211 or visiting 211md.org. 
 
For more guidelines for rental tenants, please click here. If you are in need of legal support, please contact Maryland Legal Aid, or Maryland Volunteer Legal Services.  

Rent Assistance Available

Howard County residents may apply for financial assistance to pay past due rent payments to prevent eviction. The $1.5 million in housing payment relief is being allocated through local non-profit partnerships. Applicants must be Howard County residents, provide proof of home address, and provide evidence of loss of income due to COVID-related job loss, reduction in hours, and/or medical illness. The maximum assistance per household is three months of housing expense. 
 
Residents may contact one of the participating providers for an application: 
•    Community Action Council, cac-hc.org, 410-313-6440 
•    The United Way, uwcm.org, 211 
•    Grassroots, grassrootcrisis.org, [email protected], 410-531-6677 
•    Family and Children’s Services, fcsmd.org, [email protected], 443-864-0379 
•    Foreign-Born Information and Referral Network (FIRN), firnonline.org, [email protected], 443-276-3166 
 
Applicants must also meet maximum household income limits, which are based on 80% of the Howard County area median income.  

Family Size and Amount:
 
One Person       $64,723  
Two Person       $73,969  
Three Persons   $83,215  
Four Persons     $92,461  
Five Persons      $99,858  
Six Persons       $107,255  
Seven Persons   $114,651  
Eight Persons    $122,048  
  
Partnership with Making Change 
In County Executive Ball’s continued commitment to financial literacy, Howard County is partnering with Making Change, Inc. to provide free financial counseling to residents affected by a loss of income due to COVID-19. The counseling will include budget preparation and contacting creditors for assistance. The request form is available at makingchangecenter.org or by emailing [email protected].