Gov. Moore Announces Funding for Rental Assistance, Homelessness Prevention for Students

MARYLAND. — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has announced funding for the state’s Community Schools Rental Assistance Program.

The program was created by Senate Bill 370 and House Bill 428, both of which were signed into law by Moore in 2024. The funding will provide financial support for families of students attending community schools in selected jurisdictions who are at risk of housing instability.

Applications are now open for students and their families in eight jurisdictions: Wicomico, Anne Arundel, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Washington, and Baltimore counties, as well as Baltimore City.

Eligible households can receive funds to help pay for past-due rent, utility bills, the costs of renting a new home, and court fees related to eviction. More than 400 households have already received assistance.

“In the case of Wicomico County, we’ve already distributed about two-thirds of the assistance that is available because the demand has been so high,” Maryland’s Assistant Secretary of Homeless Solutions Danielle Meister said.

In a news release published on Wednesday, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day said the resources will help struggling families with the burden of housing costs.

Meister said the program targets Maryland’s most vulnerable and impoverished jurisdictions. “We looked at the jurisdictions that had the highest number of McKinney-Vento students, that’s students who qualify as homeless under federal statute. We also looked at the number of renters with severe housing cost burdens in the community.”

Relief will be distributed by local nonprofit organizations that can provide the timeliest assistance for families experiencing a housing or financial crisis. Habitat for Humanity will handle requests and processing in Wicomico County.

“Having housing stability is really critical to any kind of academic achievement, and any kind of social wellness,” Meister said.

The Governor’s office says the program supports the administration’s work to “end childhood poverty and drive economic mobility” in Maryland.

For more information on how to apply, visit https://dhcd.maryland.gov/HomelessSolutions/pages/community-schools.aspx

For Wicomico County residents, visit https://a118872.socialsolutionsportal.com/apricot-intake/15a6c5b1-956b-40f0-b7ae-273b10dc1aa5%20