WICOMICO COUNTY, MD - Maryland is directing $500,000 in housing assistance to prevent homelessness and keep Marylanders housed in Wicomico County as part of a statewide effort.
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day announced a new round of funding through the Maryland Community Schools Rental Assistance Program Wednesday morning at Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County.
The Moore administration has allocated $12.1 million toward the program. This funding is expected to serve more than 2,100 households in Anne Arundel, Howard, Baltimore, Frederick, Prince George's, Washington, and Wicomico counties, and Baltimore City.
In the program's first cycle, 1,190 Maryland households, representing 4,209 people across 384 community schools, received assistance. Ninety-eight households and 350 people helped were in Wicomico County.
"I think Habitat did a fantastic job with the first year,” Maryland Assistant Secretary of Homeless Solutions Danielle Meister said. “They got the assistance out really quickly to people, as evidenced by the wait list they now have for year two."
The program is designed to help families who are experiencing homelessness as well as those at risk of losing their housing.
Knita Cartwright serves as the homeless liaison for the Wicomico County Public School System. This year, the program is prioritizing families identified through the school who are experiencing or at risk of housing instability that are covered by the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
"I feel like we're ahead of the game this year versus last time last year when I was notified they already had like 400 and some applicants on the waiting list and then I was able to notify my McKinney-Vento families,” Cartwright said. “So this year we're ahead of it."
Beyond rental assistance, the program also emphasizes financial education to help families make informed decisions about spending and budgeting.
"I think it's very important to educate the people on how to budget, how to make informed decisions when they purchase items,” Program Manager Stephen Feliciano said.
Officials with the Department of Housing and Community Development say they also hope the program will reduce the stigma associated with housing insecurity.
"It's not something that other people experience is something all of us can experience and a lot of us are a lot closer to it than we probably realize,” Meister said.
The program is also rolling out a new public data dashboard to track its progress.
