Montgomery County’s COVID-19 rent relief program will reopen applications starting Monday, May 16, County Executive Marc Elrich shared during a media briefing Wednesday.
The program provides rental assistance to tenants who experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19 and are behind on rent payments, with income restrictions.
According to the county, eligibility requirements are as follows:
- Experienced COVID-19-related financial hardship
- Have a household gross income from 2020 or 2021 tax return, or from the previous 30 days, that is at or below 50% area median income (AMI)
- Lived in Montgomery County since August 2021 or earlier
- Have a formal or informal obligation to pay rent
- Are behind on rent payment by at least two months
Residents will be able to access the application starting Monday and should apply online at www.mc311.com/rentrelief. Applicants will need an email address. Residents who need help can call 311 for assistance.
Applications will remain open until at least June 30. It is the fourth round of the county’s rental assistance. In the first three phases, $78 million was distributed to about 10,500 households.
“We need this money to get to those most in need as quickly as possible,” Elrich said. “Addressing the economic impacts of the pandemic is going to take a sustained and intentional effort by governments at all levels. We want our most vulnerable families that have been negatively affected by COVID-19 to be able to stay in their homes and this fourth phase of rental relief will help us do just that.”
Funding for phase four comes from U.S. Department of the Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance in direct allocations and through the state.
