By William C. Smith Jr. | October 6, 2017
In Maryland, the majority of severely rent-burdened people are single mothers and overwhelmingly people of color. According to data from the American Community Survey analyzed by Enterprise Community Partners, almost 32 percent of the state’s renters are severely housing-cost-burdened, meaning they pay more than 50 percent of their income on rent. (Typically, families pay 30 percent or less on housing costs.) These families are teetering on the line of instability and are just one illness, one unexpected expense, one preschooler getting suspended from school, one missed day of work away from homelessness.
Federal programs such as Housing Choice Vouchers (formerly called Section 8) and low-income housing tax credits were designed to respond to this lingering crisis. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development administers programs that ensure access to affordable housing, including Partnership Rental Housing and Rental Housing Works. While these innovative programs have had a profound effect, only slightly more than a quarter of eligible very-low-income households have access to affordable housing units. This has left thousands of working families in peril. Waiting lists for vouchers are in the tens of thousands across the state, with seven jurisdictions reporting more than 66,000 families on waiting lists.