Strategic Targeted Eviction Prevention Program

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Recognizing an ever increasing need to deliver rental assistance quickly and efficiently to families in need during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Baltimore County launched an innovative eviction prevention program in partnership with the United Way of Central Maryland (UWCM). The Strategic Targeted Eviction Prevention (STEP) pilot utilized geographic COVID-19 case and economic vulnerability data to focus assistance on vulnerable households, including those containing seniors and minor children. STEP offers direct payments to landlords on behalf of tenants to ensure that County residents would not be at risk of losing their housing. The pilot exceeded expectations, allocating $4.2M in Coronavirus Relief Funds to avert eviction for 935 households over a ten-week period.