Maryland’s Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) Program is a proven investment in housing stability, access to justice, and stronger communities. The ACE Program provides legal representation for low-income tenants in every county across Maryland. Every single week, Shore Legal Access provides lawyers for tenants in 8 Eastern Shore counties (Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester). As housing costs continue to strain Maryland families and eviction filings remain high, continued funding is essential to ensure that low-income tenants facing the loss of their homes have meaningful access to legal representation.
The results demonstrate both growing need and significant impact. In FY26, ACE providers closed 15,041 cases statewide—an 18% increase over FY25—and more than 36,600 Marylanders benefited from representation. Among tenants receiving full representation, 91% avoided disruptive displacement. ACE attorneys also helped Marylanders avoid more than $9.4 million in direct costs and obtain more than $775,000 in housing judgments. ACE Annual Report 2026 Since the program began, ACE has closed more than 40,000 cases across Maryland.
ACE is also a sound public investment. An independent evaluation estimated that every $1 invested in ACE generated at least $3.04 in potential fiscal and economic benefits to Maryland—$46.7 million in one year alone. These benefits include reducing the public costs associated with homelessness, health care, foster care, employment disruption, and other consequences of housing instability. The program is operating efficiently as well: the estimated FY26 cost per closed ACE case was $1,267, substantially below the estimated national average of $2,000–$2,500 for eviction representation.
Continued funding will protect the statewide infrastructure Maryland has spent years building—including trained legal services providers, coordinated intake, court-based representation, outreach, and the ability to connect tenants with counsel before an eviction becomes a housing crisis. Uncertain or temporary funding threatens that infrastructure, making it difficult for providers to retain attorneys and maintain the capacity necessary to serve tenants across the state.
Maryland has built an effective statewide system that is keeping families housed, reducing the consequences of eviction, and producing measurable public benefits. Continued investment in ACE will ensure that this progress is not lost and that access to justice—and the ability to remain safely housed—does not depend on whether a Marylander can afford an attorney.
By all accounts, Maryland’s groundbreaking Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) program has been a tremendous success. The enabling legislation sunsets on June 30, 2027. ACE only recently reached the full implementation phase, yet providers are being forced to reduce services due to funding cuts resulting from increasing costs and flat funding. Shore Legal Access and its partners across Maryland will be advocating to make access to counsel in evictions (ACE) permanent and modestly scale funding so these vital services can continue. Help us advance this important work by making a generous donation today.