Council holds required hearing on COVID-era rental assistance; 286 households received arrears relief

Montgomery County held a public hearing on May 21 required by its grant agreement with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development for Community Development Block Grant–Coronavirus (CDBG‑CV) funds. The county described a program that provided rental assistance of up to $12,000 per household to cover as many as six months of delinquent rent for income‑qualified households experiencing COVID‑related income loss.

Council President Andrew Friesen said the county received a federal/state grant award of up to $2,973,228 for the program. He told the council that, in total, 286 income‑qualified rental households received arrearage relief amounting to $1,702,542.13 and that landlords accepting payments agreed to defer eviction actions for a number of months equal to the months of past‑due rent paid.

Friesen closed the public hearing record; council action on a related supplemental appropriation (24‑80) followed and the council approved the appropriation during the same meeting. The hearing was the second required public hearing under the CDBG‑CV grant agreement.