Reviewing the Anne Arundel County rental assistance programs

Anne Arundel County rental assistance programs have been implemented to help you maintain, retain or gain permanently affordable housing. To do this, local agencies utilize a combination of federal, state and private funding to provide valuable rental assistance to Anne Arundel County tenants who might otherwise become homeless without some level of assistance.

Landlords can become unforgiving about your own personal financial struggles when they are facing their own financial realities. They have to make mortgage payments, pay taxes and insurance whether you can pay your rent or not. For this reason, they cannot always afford the luxury to allow you more time to come up with the rent.

Fortunately there are some well utilized programs that help fill this need so that tenants can avoid the hardship of eviction. We reviewed those that serve Anne Arundel County and some surrounding areas.

Anne Arundel Community Action Agency

The Anne Arundel Community Action Agency operates an empowerment program that combines housing counseling with cash for utility bills to give desperate tenants the break they need. With a little help, tenants might get enough support to handle a short term crisis.

Housing counseling and case management are provided to tenants who are seeking help with rent. We previously reviewed some of the additional programs offered by Anne Arundel Community Action Agency.

HCAAC

The Housing Commission of Anne Arundel County (HCAAC) uses funding to actually create more affordable housing for local tenants. This provides you with an affordable alternative to market rental prices.

Lower income households that cannot afford to pay regular rent might be able to take advantage of a subsidized rent opportunity. Reduced rent is a feature of the agency’s subsidized communities. Each community is created for the benefit of families or for those who are disabled or elderly.

Department of Social Services

Anne Arundel County DSS provides a Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) program to help tenants overcome a temporary hardship. If the nature of your crisis is temporary and it is deemed by your case manager that you need the financial support in order to remain self-sufficient, then a cash payment or series of payments may be authorized.

Applications for rental assistance can be made at the DSS office on West Street in Annapolis. Call 410-269-4500 for information about eligibility requirements as well as for a list of documentation that you may need.

Housing Counseling

Finally, if you can afford the rent but are having trouble getting approval to rent with bad credit, you may wish to take advantage of housing counseling that is offered by one of the agencies that partner with the United Way of Central Maryland. Simply dial 211 to locate the Anne Arundel County rental assistance agency closest to you.