For Eric Hoffman, a program analyst at USDA, missing a pair of paychecks due to the government shutdown was bad enough.

But being furloughed was especially trying for the 32-year-old College Park resident because his baby was born shortly before the shutdown, which meant he and his wife faced additional expenses.

“We thankfully have two incomes in our house, so we were able to weather the storm, but it was a stressful few weeks,” Hoffman said.

The 35-day shutdown, which began Dec. 22, ended Friday with a plan to reopen the government until Feb. 15 to allow Republicans and Democrats to reach an agreement on the budget.

Hoffman credits the local community as being “very supportive.” Neighbors, local officials and nearby businesses offered groceries, discounts and free meals throughout the shutdown.

[Read more: Amid longest government shutdown ever, a UMD student is unsure if she can return to school]

Noah Kasmanoff, a 22-year-old College Park resident, was on vacation when the government shutdown began. By Jan. 4, he was back at his fellowship with the Food and Drug Administration, which comes with a guaranteed stipend, but his work was limited, as the shutdown prevented him from accessing some government databases.

“I’ll survive, but I’m definitely concerned for all the other workers who actually missed paychecks,” Kasmanoff said.

In College Park and Prince George’s County, local government websites offered resources for residents, including information on paying for healthcare, utilities, childcare and other essentials. Mayor Patrick Wojahn urged residents via Twitter to reach out for additional needs.

“There’s a lot of resources out there for people,” Wojahn told The Diamondback. “We just want to make sure that they’re aware of them.”

Meanwhile, the University of Maryland offered several services to students and faculty affected by the shutdown, including waiving fees on overdue bills and providing financial assistance through the Student Crisis Fund.

Cynthia Hale, the associate vice president for finance and personnel in the provost’s office, said the goal of the measures was to ensure stability and relieve anxiety among students and faculty.

“One can imagine some families may be struggling to pay a tuition bill,” Hale said. “By saying that we won’t charge late fees I think that’s still relevant and useful to the students.”

The Faculty Staff Assistance Program, a counseling and financial assistance program within the University Health Center, provided “emergency financial assistance” of up to $1,500 for university personnel during the shutdown, according to an email sent to the university community Friday.

Tom Ruggieri, a coordinator for the program, said it received four calls since its services appeared in the email. He noted that while thousands of government workers will receive paychecks, many government contractors won’t, which he said could be a “rippling effect” of the shutdown.

“We’re in the D.C. area,” Ruggieri said. “We will start to feel that. I’m certain.”

[Read more: New developments in College Park’s Discovery District bring workspaces, internships]

Now that Hoffman has experienced one shutdown, he’s anxious about the prospect of another.

“I don’t think it is likely, but no one thought this past shutdown was likely until a few days in advance,” Hoffman said. “We will be anxiously waiting and watching.”

Wojahn said he’s preparing to look into the logistics of developing a loan program offering assistance to residents for “future situations.” He’s also creating a list of fines and fees the city can “waive or postpone” in a future shutdown.

“If it comes to that point that we have another shutdown, I want to be prepared to at least ease the burden on some of our residents,” Wojahn said.

While the provost’s office focuses on the university community, Hale said they “will do everything” to assist College Park and Prince George’s County.

“We always try to be good neighbors,” Hale said, “so if they call on us for anything, we will step up and do what we can.”