Under the Section 8 Certificate and Voucher Programs,
participating landlords make available to low-income families
rental housing that meets occupancy standards To qualify,
total family mcome must be 50 percent or less of the median
income for the area in which the housing is located Through
local administering agencies, the Community Development
Administration accepts and reviews applications from pro-
spective tenants for participation in the program Families
that qualify are issued Certificates of Family Participation
Under the Certificate Program, owners who
agree to rent to qualifying families sign a contract
with the Community Development Administration
or the local administering agency that guarantees
payments to the owner as long as the housing and
lease adhere to federal standards Through the
Community Development Administration, the
U S Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment subsidizes that part of the rent that exceeds
30 percent of the family's total income, unit rent
may not exceed the fair market rent Applicants
must find their own housing In this way, families
may select neighborhoods that best suit their needs
Under the Voucher Program, there is no fair
market rent limitation, and tenants may pay more
than 30 percent of their income for rent if it exceeds
the fair market rent

SPECIAL LOAN PROGRAMS
Vance T Morns, Director
(410)514 7565

In 1986, the General Assembly created special
rehabilitation programs to address the housing
needs of low income households With State gen
eral funds, these programs provide low interest,
no interest or deferred loans for 20 year terms
Limited mcome home owners and landlords of
rental properties who rent to limited income house
holds may qualify for loans or grants under two
programs The Indoor Plumbing Program provides
loans to finance mdoor plumbing and related systems
m buddings that lack mdoor plumbing or have failing
plumbing systems Loans and grants through the
Lead Hazard Reduction Loan and Grant Program
finance hazard reduction m residential buildings and
buildings that provide services to children
The Accessory, Shared, and Sheltered Housm^ Pro-
gram provides loans to limited-income home owners
for housing modifications that create accessory dwell
mg units or provide for shared housing arrangements
Home owners also may receive loans to modify hous
mg m order to provide sheltered housing tor up to
fifteen senior citizens or persons with disabilities who
meet income eligibility requirements
The Group Home Financing Program was author-
ized by the General Assembly m 1986 as the Group
Home Acquisition Program and received its present
name m 1995 With special funds, the Program fi-
nances nonprofit organizations to acquire and modify

housing for group homes and temporary and emer
gency shelters serving low mcome persons
The Maryland Housing Rehabilitation Pro-
gram—Single Family preserves owner occupied
one to four unit dwellings by making low interest
loans for repair and renovation Owner-occupants
and tenants of rental properties must meet income
guidelines set by the Secretary of Housing and
Community Development The Program is admm
istered under the same funding as the Maryland
Housing Rehabilitation Programs—Multi Family
The Special Housing Opportunities Program funds
nonprofit organizations (Internal Revenue Code, sec
501(c)(3)) and local development agencies to con
struct or acquire and modify housing as shelter for
persons with special needs Created m 1991, the
Program complements the Group Home Financing
Program and is funded by tax exempt revenue bonds
Operating A^ml.u.nw Grant Demumtratiun Pro-
jects st&rted in April 1991 These projects promote
the development and improvement of low income
housing and, through operating assistance grants,
enable nonprofit organizations to provide it (CO
MAR Tide 5, subtitle 11)

WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE

Robert C Adams, Director
(410) 514 7240

Formerly under the Department of Human Re
sources, the Weathenzation Assistance Program be
came part of the Department of Housing and
Community Development in 1987 (Chapter 311,
Acts of 1987) The Program funds local, commu
nity service organizations to help low income, eld
eriy, and persons with disabilities conserve energy
by weathenzing their houses The Program con
tracts with seventeen local administering agencies
(county governments, community action agencies,
offices on aging, and nonprofit organizations) to
provide weathenzation assistance statewide
Since 1991, Weathenzation Assistance has en
tered into agreements with major utility companies
in Maryland to promote energy conservation
through weatheri7ation in low income households
By joining these private funds with federal funds,
more low income households can be served

DIVISION OF FINANCE
& ADMINISTRATION

Stephen D Silver, Chief Financial Officer

100 Community Place
Crownsville, MD 21032 (410) 514 7100

The Division of Finance and Administration began
as the Division of Finance and received its present
name m 1992 For the Department, the Division