BALTIMORE — The Housing Authority of Baltimore City is offering a $1,500 sign-on bonus to landlords who join a voucher program helping low-income residents offset the cost of rent.
The agency is seeking more housing options for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, formerly known as Section 8, which provides rental assistance for tenants.
Properties are listed for free on the website affordablehousing.com and families that apply are subject to a criminal background check.
Under the program, landlords are protected from financial loss if a tenant experiences “unexpected financial hardship,” the agency said.
“We recognize that there is a housing shortage and the need for affordable housing; especially in neighborhoods with more amenities, said HABC President and CEO Janet Abrahams. “We need quality landlords who are invested in Baltimore communities to participate in this program.”
The U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development provides the housing vouchers that offset the cost of rent.
HABC said there have not been enough landlords participating in the program to meet demand over the last several years. Currently, there are more than 13,000 people participating in the program, and 1,800 voucher holders are still looking for a place to live.
“This has become a major issue and unfortunately left families who have been issued vouchers unable to find an appropriate unit. In some cases that means they must live out of hotel rooms or in a shelter,” Abrahams said. “Although we have hundreds of landlords already in our program, we determined these special incentives will entice new landlords to participate in the voucher program.”
Overall, HABC provides housing for more than 23,000 households.
On Tuesday, Maryland’s congressional Democrats announced the state received more than $4 million in additional housing assistance from the federal government, of which a little more than $1 million went to HABC.