Maryland’s Need for Eviction Prevention Funds

Preventing evictions is a critical part of creating a Maryland where all families can have safe, stable,
affordable housing. Eviction prevention funds pay 1-3 months of past due rent for families facing a short-term crisis – ensuring a missed month’s rent doesn’t become
a catalyst for homelessness.

Approximately 56% of families are unable to cover a $1,000 emergency.
With rapidly rising rents, far too many families are living too close to the edge.
Eviction prevention funds help ensure that a short-term setback such as a missed month of work does not escalate into a long-term crisis of homelessness that impacts the entire community.

Eviction Prevention Funds Stop Families from Becoming Homeless and Save Maryland Money on the Social Safety Net

Maryland needs an estimated $40 million annually to stop the eviction of 15,000 families at the highest risk of displacement through a program that incorporates best practices identified by Maryland stakeholders and national research. This recommendation is based on a 2023 study conducted by Stout Risius & Ross with the Maryland Center on Economic Policy and members of the Maryland Eviction Prevention Funds Alliance (MEPFA).

Even a narrowly tailored program focused on preventing homelessness or supporting families
whose children are enrolled in a community school generates exponential benefits for Black and Brown children in poverty.
This $40 million investment in eviction prevention would yield approximately $92 million in cost savings or avoidance by reducing homelessness and state-funded safety net costs related to shelter, educating students experiencing homelessness, health care, foster care, decreased incarceration, and the economic impacts of increased employment and income stability.