Eligible Prince George's County seniors can now claim financial relief to help with living expenses

Prince George's Co., Md. - Eligible seniors living in Prince George's County can now claim up to $5 million in financial relief to help with living expenses such as mortgage payments, rent, utilities payments and more thanks to MGM's Local Impact Grant dollars.

What they're saying:

"This fund is for you!" Council member Edward Burroughs said. "You can pay your property tax, utility assistance, mortgage and rental assistance," he added. "It’s about $5 million that Prince George’s County has set aside for residents like Iratha Waters-Dillahunt, who is taking advantage of the lawn-cutting services."

"Which saved a lot of money! "Because usually we pay about $75 to get our grass cut every two weeks," Waters-Dillahunt, who lives in Camp Springs, said. 

Her neighbor, Mr. Watson, 80, lives a couple of doors down.

Watson cuts his own grass, but for thousands of seniors in District 8 who aren’t able to mow their lawn or pay some of their bills, leaders don’t want residents to miss out on free money that is owed to seniors who live near the MGM Casino.

"A lot of people were opposed to the MGM coming and with them being here and knowing they are giving money to the community to assist, I think it’s great," Waters-Dillahunt said. 

Council member Burroughs says for years the county government has been misusing the funds from the MGM Impact Grant Fund for other services, and now it’s time to reinvest in the county’s seniors.

 "Seniors who are at risk of utilities being shut off—they’re going to get additional resources, closer to that $2,000 range," Burroughs said. 

Waters-Dillahunt said a lot of people who live in her neighborhood are retired, so when utilities go up in the summer, it can be tough.

"If you are on a fixed income and on Social Security, $500 a month is quite a bit to pay for electricity," she said. "A lot of these neighbors do take care of their grandkids, so they have to feed them and do other things for them."

What you can do:

Residents who are eligible have until the end of August to submit the application for assistance.

Click here to apply.