A new study from the Urban Institute ranks Maryland eighth on the list of areas most in need of rental assistance. The study also finds that 49 percent of renters are rent-burdened.

In a recent study, the Urban Institute estimates that nearly half of Marylanders that rent are considered “rent-burdened,” meaning they spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. As the pandemic continues to negatively affect the economy, D.C. continues to delay the next round of aid, putting unemployment benefits on hold. These factors mean that many are struggling to retain their housing- a complex issue in the middle of a virus outbreak. According to the study, Maryland is ranked eighth on the list of states most in need of assistance. The Urban Institute advocates for direct wide-spread housing relief in the form of rental assistance.

From the study:

Almost every state has preexisting housing cost burdens, has suffered employment losses, and has residents in need of large-scale national rental assistance. In fact, researchers in the Urban Institute’s Rental Crisis Working Group estimate a national monthly need of $16 billion in rental assistance (Strochak et al. 2020), not including other housing supports that will be critical through the recovery period. This estimate includes rent burden for all renters; for those affected by COVID-19, that amount is $5.5 billion per month.