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Housing / Rental Assistance Programs

Home > Housing Opportunities > Housing / Rental Assistance Programs

HOC is proud to provide its customers with high-quality, safe and affordable housing throughout Montgomery County. In addition to owning and managing our own portfolio of rental housing, HOC partners with third-party management companies to provide all HOC customers access to the benefits of quality property management.

HOC offers several programs to assist customers in securing affordable housing. All of those programs must be accessed through the HOC Housing Path online portal.

Housing Path Portal

To be eligible for HOC housing assistance and rent at an HOC property, individuals and families must create an account in the Housing Path Portal and complete a Housing Path Waitlist application(s). One Housing Path application registers an individual for all of the rental programs offered by HOC: Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, Project-Based Voucher program (PBV), Rent Supplement Program (RSP) and the Permanent Supportive Housing Programs (PSH).

When an individual or family application has been approved, HOC staff will contact the applicant to begin the process of locating a home.

The Housing Path Portal is fully-electronic and available online 24/7. Applications to the wait list must be submitted through the HOCHousingPath.com website through any Internet connected computer, smart phone, or tablet device. If an individual does not have access to a computer or the Internet, public computers are available for free at HOC office locations and in Montgomery County Public Libraries.

The following information is needed to complete an application:

  • Email address
  • Household member information, including names of everyone who will be in the household, date of birth and relationship to the head of household
  • Gross income of all household members
  • The source of income and frequency for all household members, including wages, pension, Social Security benefits, TANF, child support, etc.
  • Current contact information, including a physical mailing address and a phone number where a customer can receive mail, phone calls and text messages

To apply, click here.

To view the Housing Path Portal User Guide, click here.

RentCafé

HOC’s RentCafé is an online portal that enables residents to communicate with their Housing Specialist, complete program actions, submit documents and review and manage subsidy and household information quickly and easily, including:

  • Annual recertification with supporting documents
  • Interim changes in income or family composition  with supporting documents
  • Request to relocate and/or have your voucher ported to another Housing Agency (after voucher issuance)
  • Request a complaint inspection
  • Update your contact and other household information

To access RentCafé click here

Housing Choice Voucher Program

HOC provides housing assistance to customers utilizing funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), from the State of Maryland and Montgomery County. Many housing placements are made possible through federally-funded programs such as the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program and county and state partnerships.

Learn more about renting with HOC by visiting these pages:

Project-Based Voucher Program

There are two types of vouchers available through the HCV Program. Project-Based Vouchers (PBVs) are assigned to a specific building and customers must reside in the building to receive assistance. Customers with Tenant-Based Vouchers (TBVs) can use their assistance at any home, apartment, or other private market residence that meets household requirements, safety standards and rent reasonableness.

Rent Supplement Program

The Rent Supplement Program (RSP) is designed to prevent an increase in homelessness while stabilizing families in affordable housing. Funded by the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) and administered by HOC, RSP provides rental assistance to low-income Montgomery County residents whose gross household income (GHI) falls between 20-40% of Area Median Income (AMI) and are vulnerable to paying more than 30% of total income towards rent. Preference is given to households who have one or more of the following: over age 62, have a documented disability, fleeing domestic violence/domestic violence survivor, homeless or in danger of becoming homeless. RSP cannot be combined with any other federal rental assistance.

HOC customers participating in the Rental Supplement Program may receive a monthly rental subsidy, up to $600/month, depending on the household size and income. The subsidy is paid directly to landlords on behalf of qualified households residing in contracted properties. Household subsidies are non-transferable and will terminate if tenants vacate their units (in which the subsidy was applied for), or if the customer is found to be ineligible.

Permanent Supportive Housing Program

HOC Resident Services Division supports the HUD funded Housing First McKinney Permanent Supportive Housing Programs (PSH). The HOC PSH program is not open for applications. Program referrals are made by the Montgomery County, Maryland Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry System (CES). Referrals must be homeless and have a documented disability.

Supportive Services through the HOC PSH program include:

  • Housing and utility assistance
  • Clinical Case Management, home visits, furniture, transportation, and linkage with other critical needs.

For more information on the Montgomery County Coordinated Entry System, please use this link:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/homelessness/corrEntry.html

For more information on the Montgomery County Continuum of Care, please use this link:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/homelessness

HOC is excited to be a partner with the Montgomery County Services to End and Prevent Homelessness (SEPH), part of the County’s Department of Health and Human Services, working on the Zero for All Campaign. Montgomery County is working in partnership with Built for Zero (BfZ).

Emergency Housing

HOC does not provide emergency housing. Anyone who is facing a housing crisis, or experiencing homelessness, should contact the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Find contact information for relevant agencies below.

Montgomery County Department of Health & Human Services
MidCounty DHHS Building
1301 Piccard Drive, Rockville MD 20850
240.777.4550 Rockville
DHHS Silver Spring Center
8818 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring MD 20910
240.777.3075 Silver Spring

UpCounty Regional Services Center
12900 Middlebrook Road, Germantown, MD 20874
240.777.4448 Germantown
Rockville Crisis Center – 24 hour walk in
1301 Piccard Drive, Rockville MD 20850
240.777.4000
TTY: 240.777.4815
Or use this link.

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