Issue Position: A Place to Call Home

Issue Position

Every day, she would sweep the floors clean, taking pride in the little that she owned. Raised by his grandmother in that small but loving home, my father grew up believing--and later taught me, my brothers, and my sister--that strong communities are built, not born, and they're built on the foundation of ensuring that all of our neighbors have access to safe, quality, affordable housing for themselves and their families.

Over the past seven years, we've made real progress in this effort. We've started construction on over 16,000 new rental units throughout our state(1) and, in 2012, made a record increase in affordable housing funding through our Rental Housing Works Program(2). This year, we will leverage a combined $285 million in public and private investment to build and preserve over 1,800 new affordable rental housing units which will support 2,500 jobs for Marylanders(3).

But for all of our progress, we still have work to do. Today, more than half of all Maryland renters spend more than 30% of their income on rent and too many of our neighbors are struggling to find a safe, affordable place to call home(4).

Investing in affordable housing creates jobs, encourages private investment in our communities, and generates economic activity throughout Maryland(5). It's also a smart investment for our state, as even modest affordable housing funding can result in billions of dollars in economic activity(6).

We can't and we won't do this alone: our partners in the private sector, non-profits, and local governments will play a critical role in expanding affordable housing in Maryland.

As we look to the future, we must adopt a comprehensive, balanced, and integrated approach to housing. We need an approach that addresses housing needs while focusing on goals and desires of the larger community: encouraging smart growth and access to transportation, supporting local schools, maintaining a clean environment, and providing job opportunities to our neighborhoods.

Through the Brown-Ulman Affordable Housing Plan, we'll: 1) modernize the Maryland Affordable Housing Trust; 2) Create the Transit-Oriented Housing Revolving Loan Fund; 3) create a Statewide Affordable Housing Plan; 4) align priorities across State agencies; 5) incentivize the creation of affordable housing at the local level; 6) strengthen the Department of Housing and Community Development; and 7) combat homelessness throughout our state.

Together, we're going to build strong and stable communities, support families, expand opportunity to more of our neighbors, and ensure that every Marylander has a place to call home.

Sincerely,

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