Housing groups, local officials urge Maryland to provide $175 million for emergency rental aid

As Maryland’s share of an unprecedented $46 billion in federal rental assistance funds dries up, housing advocates statewide are demanding action from the State House to stave off a feared rise in evictions. In a letter Tuesday, a coalition of dozens of advocacy groups and local officials — including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and the county executives of Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery and Baltimore counties — called on Gov. Larry Hogan to provide $175 million in state funds to extend the emergency rental assistance program through June 2024. “The termination of the state’s rental assistance programs comes at a time when Maryland families are facing record rent increases and continued economic instability and will most certainly lead to a spike in the number of families — predominantly Black and Latine – experiencing eviction and homelessness,” the groups wrote.