Thursday, December 2, 2021

Deadline for New Emergency Rental Assistance Program Applications


        Deadline for New Emergency Rental Assistance Program Applications

The Prince George’s County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) has assisted over 5,200 households, making over $42 million in rent and utility payments to landlords on behalf of tenants since March 2021. These payments have enabled tenants to stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic while assisting landlords in maintaining their mortgage obligations. To date, Prince George’s County has been leading the State in the deployment of rental assistance funds, and in collaboration with our non-profit community partners, Community Legal Services of Prince George’s County, the Office of the Sheriff, and the Office of Community Relations, we continue to work in diverting evictions and in keeping families safely housed.

On December 15, 2021, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will close the application portal and continue its focus on reviewing and processing remaining applications. New ERAP applications will not be accepted after 3:00 PM on this date. Closing the application portal will ensure that DHCD has the funding needed for the open applications that still need to be processed for payment, including applications received between now and December 15.  

DHCD is also pleased to be a recipient of the State of Maryland’s ERA 1 supplemental assistance. With these funds, we will be able to finalize the awarding of an additional $20 million to County residents affected by this pandemic.

Working with its community service providers, DHCD will ensure that the remaining ERAP funds will be used to provide assistance for eligible pending applications.  Low-income households facing eviction and residents with addresses in a census tract of greatest vulnerability will continue to be prioritized. Applicants will be contacted by their assigned reviewers to finalize all necessary information. Residents with pending eviction cases should continue to reach out to DHCD and call the ERAP Hotline at 301-883-6504 and press 9.

The submission of an application does not guarantee approval for ERAP assistance.  All applications are carefully reviewed and subject to state and federal eligibility requirements. Applications are also subject to the availability of funding at the time of processing.

Calls and questions can be made to the ERAP Hotline customer service representatives on 301-883-6504 or by visiting https://tinyurl.com/pgcERAP.

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