Slide 1

Housing Authority: Service Update

January 5, 2021

Department of Community Services

Dina Barclay, Director

Rita Wood, Chief of Housing Authority

Slide 2

Achievements By Program

• Housing Choice Voucher

• Housing Preservation for low-income families

• Homeownership Programs to build financial

stability and facilitate equity

• Community Development Initiatives: COVID &

non-COVID

• Preview into 2021

Slide 3

Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)• March 2020: Made immediate adaptations to all essential functions, enabling the Dept to

provide 100% customer appointments; maintain continuous supportive services; complete

unit inspections & new HCV enrollments; despite challenges of the pandemic

• July 2020: Successfully re-opened the HCV application wait list for the 1st time since 2012,

providing new housing opportunity to 300 local individuals & families; Plans to re-open the

wait list on a regular basis in the future

• Implemented evidence-based, best practices to target housing assistance for those with

greatest social & economic needs;

• Strategic multi-media outreach efforts to provide immediate adjustments to housing

assistance payments (HCV subsidy) at the start of the pandemic; during scheduled client

appointments, & broadly again in Dec to prevent pandemic-related hardships among HCV

clients.

• Provided maximum allowable 20% of HCV to support homeless individuals to relocate from

transitional shelters to subsidized apartments via “fast tracking” SAFAH vouchers.

• Throughout COVID: Relaxed program deadlines & policy enforcement requirements to the

extent practicable, to prevent loss of housing benefits for HCV participants.

Slide 4

Housing Preservation Programs

• Initiated a new program, USDA Rural Housing Preservation Grant to

assist eligible low-income homeowners in rural areas of the County

with essential home repairs that address serious health & safety

issues at the property. Enables homeowners to remain safely

housed & avoid displacement.

• Applied & Awarded funds for 1st time in 2019; additional award in 2020

• Grants to homeowners do not need to be repaid (not a loan or lien)

• Special Loans Program: provides no-interest & low-interest loans

to qualified low-to-moderate income homeowners who are in need

of essential repairs or adaptations for disability access. In some

cases, a complete home replacement may be approved.

Slide 5

Homeownership Programs• Primary objective is to enable low-to-moderate income residents

with building financial stability & equity through homeownership

• Supports principles of Racial Equity by offering all residents an

opportunity to close the wealth gap by eliminating institutional &

individual barriers to homeownership, and laying a foundation for

building generational wealth

• Housing Choice Voucher to Homeownership: moves eligible

persons from tenant-based assistance (HCV), to mortgage

assistance, & on to eventual housing independence.

• Settlement Expense Loan Program (SELP): provides financial

assistance for settlement expenses with repayment at the time of

property transfer; maximum interest of $300 over the loan term.

Slide 6

Community Development Initiatives• Waldorf Senior & Recreation Center ($800,000): Deliverables have recently

been met; will be closing this grant shortly

• Haven of Hope ($309,000): Acquisition of transitional home for Lifestyles of MD

to support domestic violence survivors; women & children

• Angels Watch ($200,000): Operational support for the County’s largest

homeless shelter & the only “whole family” shelter.

• COVID- Round 1 ($200,000): Eviction Prevention Program with United Way of

Charles County

• COVID- Round 2 ($750,000): Eviction Prevention Program with MD Assoc of

Social Services Boards (MASSB), Charles County Chapter

• COVID- Round 3 (pending): anticipate award may be added to Round 2

• Climate Resiliency (pending project): plan to submit application 1/22/2021

Slide 7

Preview to 2021…

• Foster Youth to Independence (FYI): Recently completed final approval and

executed MOU with the Department of Social Services (DSS) for a new

Housing Choice Voucher program that will provide housing assistance to

young adults who have aged out of the Foster Care system, but are not yet

financially independent for housing. Pending availability of funds from HUD

• Applied for additional vouchers, Dec 2020. Housing Authority took the

opportunity to apply for “Mainstream Vouchers” which will add to the total

number of vouchers available in Charles County. Pending award from HUD

• New exploratory proposal: consider development of an interdisciplinary

“displacement task force” to create a better process & identify resources to

efficiently address urgent needs for individuals/families displaced due to

code enforcement actions or specific localized emergencies (fire, flood, etc.).

Slide 8

THANK YOU & QUESTIONS

Presented By:

Charles County Government

Department of Community Services

301-934-9305 • woodr@charlescountymd.gov

8190 Port Tobacco Rd, Port Tobacco, MD 20677

MD Relay Service: 7-1-1

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of Charles County to provide equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of race, color, sex,

age, national origin, religious or political affiliation or opinion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic

information, gender identity or expression, or any other status protected by law.

www.CharlesCountyMD.gov