If you need help paying rent right now, emergency rental assistance in Maryland is still available, but it no longer runs through the single federal program many people used during the pandemic. The state and its counties operate several smaller programs, and the fastest way to find one open in your area is to dial 211.
The Federal ERAP Has Ended
The U.S. Treasury’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program stopped paying rent, arrears, utilities, and housing stability services on September 30, 2025. Grantees can no longer use those funds for tenants.1U.S. Department of the Treasury. Emergency Rental Assistance Program If you applied to ERAP before and are looking for the same program, it does not exist anymore. What follows is what has taken its place or what continues to run on its own.
Maryland Programs That Still Pay Rent
No single state program replaces ERAP. Instead, Maryland has a patchwork of options with different eligibility rules and different funding cycles. Any of them may open or close depending on available money, so treat this as a starting map, not a live inventory.
Community Schools Rental Assistance Program
Governor Moore signed this program into law in 2024 through Senate Bill 370 and House Bill 428. The Department of Housing and Community Development’s Division of Homeless Solutions runs it, and it is aimed at families with a student enrolled in a Community School in a participating jurisdiction. You have to show you are obligated to pay rent and that your housing is unstable, whether that means being behind on rent, facing eviction, dealing with a utility shut-off, or experiencing homelessness.2Department of Housing and Community Development. Governor Moore Announces Funding for Eviction and Homelessness Prevention Through Community Schools Rental Assistance Program
The program covers past-due rent, utility bills (including late fees and eviction-related court fees), moving costs, security deposits, utility deposits, and first month’s rent at a new place. Eligible households can receive up to 15 months of assistance tied to their current housing crisis.2Department of Housing and Community Development. Governor Moore Announces Funding for Eviction and Homelessness Prevention Through Community Schools Rental Assistance Program
Emergency Assistance to Families With Children
The Maryland Department of Human Services runs this program through local departments of social services. Families with at least one child under 21 living in the home can apply for emergency cash toward rent or utilities. You need proof of an emergency, like an eviction notice or a utility shut-off notice, and the hardship cannot come from a household member voluntarily quitting a job. When funding is available, a family can receive this help once every two years.3Maryland Department of Human Services. Emergency Assistance
Maryland Rental Allowance Program
This state program provides a 12-month rental subsidy for low-income individuals who are homeless or have an emergency housing need. It is a bridge toward more permanent housing. Funding is limited, so call your local department of social services to see whether it is currently accepting applicants.
Statewide Rental Assistance Voucher Program
DHCD administers this program for low-income families already on a waiting list for the federal Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8). To qualify, you have to live in Maryland, be on a federal HCV waiting list, and meet the income limits. Priority goes to families with minor children, foster youth ages 18 to 24, veterans, people experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities, and elderly individuals. Assistance can run up to five years or until you become eligible for a federal Housing Choice Voucher.
County and City Programs
Some jurisdictions run their own rental assistance programs using local or state funding. In Baltimore City, Community Action Partnership offices administer rental assistance and eviction prevention services through the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success.4Baltimore City. Resources for Renters Other counties do similar work through their departments of social services. Availability shifts with funding, so a call to your county office or to 211 is the fastest way to know what is active.
Who Qualifies
Rules differ by program, but most Maryland rental assistance programs look for the same basic things:
- Low income, usually at or below 50% to 80% of the Area Median Income for your county. AMI varies widely, so the dollar figure in Montgomery County is very different from the one in Allegany County. DHCD publishes updated income limits every year.5Department of Housing and Community Development. 2025 Maryland Income and Rent Limits
- Housing instability. You have to show you are behind on rent, have received an eviction notice, face a utility shut-off, or are otherwise at risk of losing your home.
- Maryland residency, generally in the jurisdiction where you apply.
- No duplicate benefits. Two programs cannot pay for the same months of unpaid rent.
Programs still working within the old ERAP framework give priority to households below 50% of AMI and to people who have been unemployed for 90 days or longer. The Community Schools program adds its own requirement: a school-age child in the household enrolled in a participating Community School.
What to Have Ready Before You Apply
Gathering paperwork before you start the application saves you from the back-and-forth that stalls a case. Expect to need:
- A government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license, state ID, or passport, for each adult in the household.
- A signed copy of your current lease showing the landlord’s name, rental address, and monthly rent.
- Proof of residency, like a recent utility bill or official mail addressed to your unit, if the lease does not show the current address.
- Income documentation: pay stubs from the last 30 to 60 days, W-2s from the prior year, or your most recent tax return. If your income has dropped, bring documentation of the change, such as a termination letter or a reduced-hours notice.
- Proof of what you owe: a ledger or statement from your landlord itemizing unpaid months and any late fees. For utility arrears, bring your most recent bill showing the past-due balance.
Your landlord will typically need to submit a completed W-9 so the agency can issue payment and report it to the IRS. If your landlord will not cooperate, tell the agency. Some programs can work around an unresponsive landlord, though it makes things harder. Applicants without traditional income documents, such as those paid in cash or self-employed, can sometimes submit a written self-attestation of income. Program officers verify what they can, and the attestation is signed under penalty of perjury, so accuracy matters.
How to Apply
Dialing 211 from any phone is the quickest way to find out which programs are open in your area. Maryland 211 runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and a specialist searches a database of over 7,000 agencies and services against your ZIP code.6211 Maryland. 211 Maryland – MD Health and Human Services – Get Help If your cell phone will not connect to 211, regional backup numbers are 1-866-770-1910 for Southern Maryland, 1-866-406-8156 for Central Maryland, 1-866-231-7101 for the Eastern Shore, and 1-866-411-6803 for Western Maryland.
Most applications go through county-specific online portals that let you upload documents and give you a confirmation number for tracking. If you do not have internet access, county offices and local departments of social services take mailed or in-person applications. Call ahead to confirm.
Processing times vary. Some jurisdictions decide cases in two to three weeks; others take four to six weeks or longer, depending on volume and staffing. If you have a court date for eviction, say so clearly on the application and in any follow-up call, because some programs can move eviction-imminent cases faster. Approved payments go directly to the landlord or utility company, not to you.
Help With Utility Bills
If your main problem is an electric or gas bill rather than rent, Maryland’s Office of Home Energy Programs runs year-round. OHEP administers the Maryland Energy Assistance Program and the Electric Universal Service Program through local offices statewide. You can apply once per fiscal year (July through June) and receive benefits for that year.7Maryland Department of Human Services. Applying for Energy Assistance
Income limits for fiscal year 2026 are based on household size. A single person qualifies with monthly income up to $2,608, a household of two up to $3,525, a household of three up to $4,441, and a household of four up to $5,358. Larger households have proportionally higher thresholds.7Maryland Department of Human Services. Applying for Energy Assistance
OHEP also runs Arrearage Retirement Assistance for customers with large past-due balances. If you owe $300 or more on your electric or gas bill, you may qualify for a grant of up to $2,000 toward a past-due electric bill and up to $1,000 toward a past-due gas bill. The arrearage grant is available once every five years.7Maryland Department of Human Services. Applying for Energy Assistance
You can apply at MarylandBenefits.gov, by phone at 1-800-332-6347, by mail, or in person at your local energy assistance office. Bring a photo ID, Social Security cards for everyone in the household, proof of income for the last 30 days, proof of residency, and your most recent utility bill.
If You Are Already Facing Eviction
Being behind on rent is not the same as being locked out. Maryland law does not allow a landlord to change the locks or set your belongings on the curb without going through the courts, and there are several points in that process where rental assistance can still stop the eviction.
For a failure-to-pay-rent case, the landlord first has to give you a written 10-day notice of intent to file in District Court. That notice must be mailed with a certificate of mailing, posted on your door, or, if you agreed to it earlier, sent electronically.8Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-401 Only after the 10-day cure period passes without payment can the landlord file. The filing fee is $50 in most counties and $60 in Baltimore City, plus $5 per tenant of record.9Maryland Courts. District Court of Maryland Cost Schedule
Even after the court enters a judgment of possession for the landlord, the actual eviction cannot begin for another seven business days. During that window, and up until the physical eviction, you keep the right to redeem your tenancy by paying the full amount owed plus court costs. This is where rental assistance most often saves a tenancy. If a government agency, or an organization distributing government funds, sends the payment, your landlord must accept the check or electronic payment to satisfy the debt. Refusing is not an option the law gives them.10Maryland Courts. Housing Cases
One exception matters. If you have had three judgments of possession against you in the past 12 months (four in Baltimore City), the landlord can ask the court to deny your right of redemption. If the judge grants that request, paying up will no longer stop the eviction.10Maryland Courts. Housing Cases
Free Legal Help
Maryland’s Access to Counsel in Evictions program, administered by the Maryland Legal Services Corporation, provides free legal representation to income-eligible tenants facing eviction.11Maryland Legal Aid. Tenant Right to Counsel Project (TRCP) Maryland Legal Aid’s Tenants’ Right to Counsel Project is one of the main providers. Represented tenants are much more likely to negotiate repayment plans, secure time to line up rental assistance, or get cases dismissed on procedural grounds.
If you have been served with an eviction complaint, contact Maryland Legal Aid as soon as you can. Coverage is phasing in across the state, so availability depends on your jurisdiction and current caseload. Even in counties where the formal program is not yet fully active, Maryland Legal Aid and local legal services organizations may still be able to represent you. Reach them by calling 211 or through their website.
A Landlord Cannot Refuse You for Using Assistance
Maryland bans source-of-income discrimination in housing. Under the Maryland Fair Housing Act, a landlord cannot refuse to rent to you, evict you, or treat you differently because your income comes from a housing voucher, rental assistance, Social Security, or another lawful source. The protection is in the State Government Article, Sections 20-704 and 20-705.12Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code State Government 20-705
In practice, a landlord who refuses to accept a rental assistance payment on your behalf, or who tries to evict you for using a voucher, is violating state law. If you believe a landlord has discriminated against you based on source of income, you can file a complaint with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights.