Book Review: "Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City"

Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City by Richard E. Ocejo. Princeton University Press, 2024. 288 pages. Hardcover. $29.95.

This book examines the effect on racial and income balance, gentrification, and social change in Newburgh, New York, of an influx of wealthier remote workers from NYC and its suburbs. The City's population is now about 50% Hispanic. To the author: "This demographic shift has made the city more primed for gentrification, which rarely happens in racially homogenous places. The Black population in Newburgh was previously too high to attract white gentrifiers, but the influx of Hispanic migrants changed the demographic mix, creating a more favorable environment for white middle-class newcomers and shaping Newburgh’s current identity."

As the author says about his book during an interview published in the local newspaper The Highlands Current: "At the heart of my book is: What do we owe to the communities that we move to when we’re newcomers? What obligations do we have to neighbors who have been calling this place home for much longer than we have? Do we disrupt or enhance?"

From Amazon.com's description:

"Newburgh is a small postindustrial city of 28,000 located sixty miles north of New York City. Like many other similarly sized cities across America, it has been beset with poverty and crime after decades of decline, with few opportunities for its predominantly minority residents. Sixty Miles Upriver tells the story of how Newburgh started gentrifying, describing what happens when White creative professionals seek out racially diverse and working-class communities, and revealing how gentrification is increasingly happening outside large city centers in places where it unfolds in new ways.

As New York City’s housing market becomes too expensive for even the middle class, many urbanites are bypassing the suburbs and moving to smaller cities like Newburgh, where housing is affordable and historic. Richard Ocejo takes readers into the lives of these newcomers, examining the different ways they navigate racial difference and inequality among Newburgh’s much less privileged local residents, and showing how stakeholders in the city’s revitalization reframe themselves and gentrification to cast the displacement they cause to minority groups in a positive light. An intimate exploration of the moral dilemma at the heart of gentrification, Sixty Miles Upriver explains how progressive White gentrifiers justify controversial urban changes as morally good, and how their actions carry profound and lasting consequences for vulnerable residents of color."

Read the November 1, 2024 The Highlands Current interview.

Read the May 17, 2024 interview in Chronogram: The River.

Community Development Network of Maryland Award Presentation is on October 7th

 a joyous celebration of the great work in urban, suburban and rural Maryland

Monday, October 7, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.

Museum of Industry, 1415 Key Highway, Baltimore, MD 21230

AWARD WINNERS

Cross-Sector Award

GEDCO

        Stadium Place

Impact Awards

    Beloved Community Services Corporation - 

        Renovation of P.S. 103, the Henry Highland Garnet School

    Baltimore County DHCD and MCB Real Estate, LLC - 

        Preserving and creating attainable and affordable housing in NOAH properties

Innovation Award

    

    Evergreen Heritage Center

        Connecting to broadband and wifi in Western MD

 

Advocates of the Year

    Char McCready & Beyond the Boundaries 

    Baltimore City Inclusionary Housing Coalition

 

Legacy Awards:

    Maryann Dillon, Housing Initiative Partnership

    Santo Grande, Delmarva Community Services

Community Development Energy Stars

 

       Requity

 

Housing Counseling Star Awards:

    Luis Perez, Housing Initiative Partnership

    Meredith McAllister, GO Northwest Housing Resource Center

    Tina Vice, Diversified Housing Development, Inc.

Making Great Places in Maryland

    Placemaking

    Joy Owens Interiors - The Ruby

    Placemaking

    MHP - Flower Theater Facade and Marquee

 

Harvard Study Finds Rental Affordability Lowest Ever

The just-released Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies report America's Rental Housing 2024 has found that in 2022 an all-time high of 22.4 million renters spent over 30% of their income on rent and utilities. Among cost-burdened households, 12.1 million had housing costs that were more than half of their income, an all-time high for such severe burdens. The dwindling supply of low-rent units is only worsening cost burdens, according to the report. As the study explains: "Climbing rents in recent years propelled US cost burdens to staggering new heights: in 2022, half of all US renters were cost burdened. And while rental markets are finally cooling, evictions have risen, the country is seeing the highest homelessness counts on record, and the need for rental assistance is greater than ever."

The negative personal impacts of such tight budgets force financially vulnerable renters to make awful choices. Harvard Joint Center analysis of the 2022 Consumer Expenditure Survey found that severely cost-burdened renter households in the lowest expenditure quartile spent 39% less on food and 42% less on healthcare than unburdened households. Others may end up living in overcrowded or  structurally inadequate conditions, threatening their health and well-being.

Local Data

For the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson area, 86% of renters are considered moderately burdened by the report, and 103% severely burdened. This geographic combination is the sole local breakdown available in the study.

Concerning the renters' race, about 175,000 renters in the area are Black, 134,000 White, 25,000 Hispanic/Latino, 18,000 Asian, and 18,000 multi-racial or another race. Some 52.1% of Blacks are renters, 21.1% of Whites, 45.8% of Hispanics/Latinos, 31.2% of Asians, and 50.1% multi-racial or another race.

Read the Harvard Joint Center study

Go to the Harvard report's summary page.

Conference Assesses Positive Housing Opportunity Programs

"Connecting HUD-Assisted Renters to Opportunity"

A recent HUD report published in HUD User reports on the Bipartisan Policy Center's August, 2023 online event, “Investing in Opportunity: Rental Assistance and Neighborhoods of Choice,” featuring recent research from Opportunity Insights (OI) on the Seattle-based "Creating Moves to Opportunity" program along with a general discussion of the challenges and benefits for housing choice voucher (HCV) recipients moving to low-poverty, high-opportunity neighborhoods.

OI detailed recent research showing that children's upward economic mobility varies widely across neighborhoods nationwide. Studies have also shown that moving to higher-opportunity neighborhoods at younger ages can significantly improve outcomes later in life. Considerable research demonstrates that housing location affects essential outcomes, such as income and health, for residents, and that living in low-poverty neighborhoods with high-quality schools and low crime rates is associated with increased economic mobility and other positive effects. However, housing in these neighborhoods often is unaffordable for low-income families. 

Low-income families trying to access housing in high-opportunity neighborhoods face two big challenges: (1) finding a home to rent - one-third of high-opportunity neighborhoods are "rental deserts," many with exclusively or primarily single-family homes - and (2) being able to afford the rent. The assistance of counselors or coaches can help, especially when they are members or representatives of the community. 

For landlords, participation in the HCV program involves additional steps and paperwork, producing delays and uncertainty. Enterprise Community Partners urged policy changes to lower the regulatory burden for landlords to participate in the program and reduce the time to lease to a voucher holder.

Programs that provide housing vouchers and also ensure that the vouchers compete with market-rate rents, lower regulatory burdens for landlords, and provide additional financial supports can help low-income renters move to opportunity neighborhoods. Seattle's "Creating Moves to Opportunity" program and programs providing mobility-related services under HUD's Community Choice Demonstration are successful at increasing opportunity for HUD-assisted renters. 

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Source: Read the October 3, 2023 HUD User report.

PUSH FOR BALTIMORE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING LEGISLATION CONTINUES

The Baltimore Inclusionary Housing Coalition is continuing to lobby for a vote on a Baltimore City Council bill that would require affordable housing units to be created in certain residential projects. There are more than 20 organizations in the Coalition, which has been working on the inclusionary housing bill since before the 2007 expiration of an inclusionary housing policy. 

The nonpartisan Coalition was formed by the Baltimore Branch of the NAACP, Baltimore Renters United, Beyond the Boundaries, BRIDGE Maryland, Inc., Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA), Community Development Network, SEIU 1199, and the Public Justice Center (PJC), among numerous other Baltimore area nonprofit and community organizations, volunteers, and City Councilwoman Odette Ramos (District 14).

Council Bill 22-0195 is one of the two bills the coalition is advocating for. It would “eliminate the loopholes and waivers in the prior inclusionary housing law that made it a failure,” according to a webpage by the League of Women Voters of Baltimore City, a member of the coalition. The bill would require developers to set aside 10 percent of units as affordable housing in residential projects that receive city funding or rezoning and have greater than 20 units. Affordable is defined as a household earning less than 60% of Area Median Income (about $55,740 for a family of two) would pay rent that is no more than 30% of their income. 

Courtney Jenkins, President of the Metropolitan Baltimore AFL-CIO, has said that with the average cost of housing in the City being around $1,200 monthly, renters are paying about $15,000 yearly on housing. Since 54% of Baltimoreans make less than $60,000 annually, housing costs are at least 25% of their income, if not more, he said. The National Equity Analysis estimates that more than 20,000 households in Baltimore City are behind on rent. Lack of access to affordable housing and an overabundance of inadequate housing especially hits people of color.

There have been five hearings and 30 amendments to CB 22-0195 since its introduction in February 2022. The Coalition deplored the fact that the proposed law has not yet been brought before the full council for a vote. “I think any other amendments are active[ly] delaying this even further,” said Loraine Arikat, a member of the 1199SEIU Maryland/DC division, a union that represents healthcare workers. Once the law is passed, it will not go into effect immediately. The proposed law grants a six-month grace period before it goes into effect. That buffer gives time to gather advisory board appointees.  

The Historic Sharp Leadenhall Community Association agrees with the Coalition that something has to be done immediately: “We cannot continue to have families not have decent shelter. We cannot continue not to have access to affordable food. We cannot continue to accept this as a people.”

The last inclusionary housing policy was passed in 2007 and expired in June 2022, according to an inclusionary housing study commissioned by the Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development and completed by Enterprise Community Partners. That policy solely led to the development of 34 affordable housing units due to loopholes and waivers. City Council President Nick Mosby  said the proposed CB 22-0195 must create as many inclusionary housing units as possible across the whole city. At a Coalition rally, He said, “No matter your ZIP code, your socioeconomic status, new buildings - new quality buildings with affordable units - should be able to be available to you. You should have quality development in communities that you’re most comfortable with, that you have cultural competency with, and that you wanna grow and stay growing in age in.” 

In 2021, Mosby introduced a legislative package “House Baltimore” to provide low-income residents with opportunities to buy and rehabilitate existing Baltimore homes. Advocates heavily criticized it, and he apologized after a hearing to discuss the bill ended chaotically.

Ramos has said she understands activists’ impatience but wants the bill to be done correctly. Although she said the bill has support from the Council, as of today there is not a date set for the vote.  

If approved, C 22-0195 will create an advisory board that must approve the developers’ plans before they can obtain a permit. The advisory board will ensure the enforcement of the program. Members will be appointed by Mayor Brandon Scott, according to Matt Hill, an attorney for the Public Justice Center, a legal advocacy group and coalition member. Developers would not receive their subsidy until after completing the reporting procedures required by the bill. This is to make sure that too much subsidy might be going to the developers. The coalition will likely make recommendations for the board to the mayor, Hill said.

Another City Council bill, CB 23-0369, is coupled with the inclusionary housing policy to create a high-performance inclusionary housing tax credit. The tax credit would give eligible property owners a 15% abatement of city property tax. 

For more information and to support the proposed law, the public can go to the Action Network's dedicated page.

Read the November 3, 2023 Baltimore Beat article.

Baltimore Makes It Easier for Tenants to Purchase Their Own Housing

Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott has signed into law "The Councilmember Mary Pat Clarke Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act," which aims to restore renters' ability to engage directly with their landlords who may be looking to sell their rental properties and provide easier pathways for renters to move to homeownership. 

The bill was inspired by the continuous advocacy and previous legislation led by former Council President Mary Pat Clarke. As a Councilwoman representing Northeast Baltimore, she worked with St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center founders Vinnie Quayle and Frank Fisher on the original 'Tenant Right of First Refusal' legislation, which was the first legislation in the country designed to give tenants the opportunity to purchase the homes in which they live when the owner was ready to sell. Exemptions added by later legislation made former Council President Clarke's bill all but obsolete.

The Councilmember Mary Pat Clarke Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act repeals the exemptions that gutted the original legislation, and reestablishes that if an owner/landlord wants to sell their property, they must first provide their current tenant opportunity to pursue a purchase. With some exceptions, the tenant would have 14 days to make a decision to sign a letter of intent to purchase and enter a contract, or the owner can move forward in the process of selling the property to any potential buyer. The legislation also implements a number of reporting and data requirements. 

The bill will make a significant impact for numerous families across Baltimore by eliminating substantial barriers to homeownership and prioritizing renters pursuing homeownership in Baltimore's housing market.

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Source: City of Baltimore Daily Digest Bulletin, October 17, 2023.

Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition Annual Meeting is November 6th

MAHC ANNUAL MEETING November 6, 2023 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The Hotel at Arundel Preserve Hanover, MD TICKETS: $165 - $1,000 This event is our only fundraiser of the year, so please support our important work by purchasing your tickets today!

REGISTER NOW

HOUSING AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! 2023 MAHC AWARDS The Innovation Award celebrates innovation within the affordable rental housing industry in Maryland.  The award is given to a housing project, program or activity that is cutting edge or advances the state of affordable rental housing in Maryland.   INNOVATION AWARD NOMINATION FORM The Housing Person of the Year Award recognizes a MAHC Member who has made significant contributions to the affordable rental housing industry in Maryland and worked to help advance the interest of the affordable rental housing community through advocacy, participation in policy or program improvements, or other volunteer efforts that have impacted those who live in affordable housing.   HOUSING PERSON OF THE YEAR NOMINATION FORM Nominations are due by October 9, 2023. mdahc.org  ***** Source: Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition email, September 14, 2023.

 Recent Fair Housing News: 

HUD Announces $837.5 Million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to Improve Housing Quality and Reduce Energy Costs for Underserved Communities

The May 11, 2023 NOFA provides new funding from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and $4 billion in loan commitment authority will make HUD-assisted multifamily housing more energy efficient, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and improve climate resiliency. The availability of new funding through the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the energy and water efficiency and climate resilience of HUD-assisted multifamily properties serving low-income residents. 

The Act provided HUD with $837.5 million in grant and loan subsidy funding, $4 billion in loan commitment authority for this new program, and $42.5 million for a new HUD initiative launching later this summer to collect and assess energy and water usage data from HUD-assisted multifamily housing properties to better target opportunities to save energy and water, cut costs, and reduce emissions. Building owners will be able to invest in technologies, such as solar panels, heat pumps, wind-resistant roofing, insulation, low embodied carbon materials, and other measures that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make properties healthier and safer for residents. 

Read the May 11, 2023 HUD release.

Affordable Housing News: 

Mortgage Assistance Program Expansion Estimated to Help More Than 1,000 Additional Marylanders Stay in Their Homes. 

Since the Homeowner Assistance Fund Program Began in 2021, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (MDHCD) has assisted over 11,000 Marylanders residents behind on payments and housing costs, including 6,000 who were facing foreclosure. The Department has expanded the program to add an additional option for mortgage servicers to provide eligible homeowners with relief as interest rates have risen and affected the affordability of some loan modifications. The program now is able to fund up to six months of forward payments for eligible applicants, and is estimated to help more than 1,000 additional Marylanders. 

The Homeowner Assistance Fund offers legal assistance, loan modifications with payment of delinquent mortgages, grants to avoid displacement due to property taxes, association and water and sewer fees, and other housing related costs. So far, the program has provided more than $125 million to eligible homeowners, with an average of $17,100 of assistance for each household. No additional application is required to be considered for the new forward payment option, and the Department is also reviewing past applications to determine if those homeowners would be eligible for the forward payment option and reaching out to them to offer assistance. 

For detailed information on eligibility and to apply for assistance: homeownerassistance.maryland.gov. The HAF program was established by the American Rescue Plan Act enacted in 2021 to help homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Developm​ent was awarded a total of $248 million to administer through the program. 

Contact Brandi Bottalico, Office of Public Information - brandi.bottalico@maryland.gov.

 HUD Housing Summit 2023

HUD Bridging the Wealth Gap: Asset Building and Economic Justice Summit

May 1, 2023

11am - 4pm ET,

Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, 451 7th Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20410

In person / Virtual option available

In addition to housing, asset building and financial empowerment are key components of HUD’s efforts to support those who have been historically underserved. During this hybrid convening, attendees will hear from HUD leadership and peers about the importance of leveraging housing as a platform to build assets and work towards economic justice. Participants will engage with community leaders, staff from across the federal government, policy experts, affordable housing practitioners, and other stakeholders in the field.

Housing, asset building, and financial empowerment are key components of HUD’s efforts to support those who have been historically underserved.

Learn about the importance of housing as a platform for asset building and economic justice. Engage with community leaders, staff from across the federal government, policy experts, affordable housing practitioners, and other stakeholders. 

Register for the HUD Summit.

 Maryland Housing Days

MD HOUSING DAYS ARE 2/15 & 2/16

Come & Advocate for More Affordable Housing

View the full schedule here.

The Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition (MAHC)'s annual Housing Days are an opportunity to advocate with Maryland legislators for increased funding for affordable housing programs and increases in the budget of the Maryland Department of Housing & Urban Development.

MAHC's this year will advocate for a $250 million budget for the State's Rental Housing Programs budget - $172 million more than the current FY24 Capital Budget. This is the amount of funding needed to clear the pipeline of affordable housing projects in Maryland waiting to be completed. Come to Housing Days to tell legislators why it is critical to fund these programs. 

The days are:

    February 15, 2023 | 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. - Virtual Program.

    February 16, 2023 | Starting at 8:30 a.m. - Legislative Visits in Annapolis.

Speakers include:

•     DHCD Acting Secretary Jake Day.
•     Washington Insider David Gasson.
•     Ben Orr, CEO, Md Center on Economic Policy.
•     and many of MAHC's friends from the Maryland House and Senate.

Learn More & Register*

Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition

1212 York Road, Suite C 300, Lutherville, MD 21093

443-758-6270  /  mdarden@mdahc.org

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Source: Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition newsletter, February 13, 2023.

 HUD Strengthens Fair Housing Regulations

HUD ANNOUNCES NEW "AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING" RULE

Rule expands upon HUD’s previous policy, implementing opportunities for transparency and accountability while bolstering economic equity for American families

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will soon publish a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register to fulfill the promise of the 1968 Fair Housing Act. The proposed rule aims to remedy the effects of the long history of housing discrimination and will help to promote opportunity in communities. This proposed rule meets President Biden's call to fully enforce the Fair Housing Act, outlined in Memorandum on Redressing Our Nation's and the Federal Government's History of Discriminatory Housing Practices and Policies.

This proposed rule implements the Fair Housing Act's affirmatively furthering fair housing mandate, which directs the government to promote fair housing choice, eliminate disparities in housing, and foster inclusive communities. This proposed rule streamlines the required fair housing analysis for local communities, states, and public housing agencies and requires them to set ambitious goals to address local fair housing issues.

This proposed rule would spur HUD program participants to take action to help protected classes have equitable access to affordable housing. It is designed to simplify the required fair housing analysis, emphasize goal-setting, increase public review and comment, bolster local commitment to addressing fair housing issues, enhance HUD technical assistance to local communities, and regular program evaluation and greater accountability, among other changes.

Under the proposed rule, program participants every five years would submit to HUD for review and acceptance an Equity Plan that must be developed following strong community engagement, would contain their analysis of local fair housing issues, goals, and strategies to remedy those issues, and a description of community engagement. The proposed rule requires program participants to incorporate goals and strategies from their Equity Plans into their Consolidated Plans, Annual Action Plans, and Public Housing Agency Plans). Both the Equity Plans and the annual progress evaluations would be posted online. The public can file complaints with HUD if program participants are not living up to their AFFH commitments.

HUD seeks public comment on this proposed rule and invites the public to submit their views, comments, and recommendations for improvement. Comments may be submitted electronically through www.regulations.gov, or through the methods described in the proposed rule.

Read HUD's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.

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Source: Read the HUD January 19, 2023 release.

 Housing Day at Annapolis

Please join us for Housing Days...because one day just isn't enough!

The 2023 Legislative Session is underway in Annapolis, but there is no meeting space available due to construction, so we are doing things a little differently this year. We will have a virtual program one day followed by in-person visits to Legislators in Annapolis the next day. The MAHC Legislative Committee is busy preparing for these events, so please plan to join us on February 15-16, 2023 to show your support for affordable rental housing programs. We are asking for a $172 million increase in capital funding for the DHCD Rental Housing Programs to support increased project costs and high demand for funding. The  Governor's proposed FY24 budget includes $78 million for Rental Housing Programs this year ($100 million less than FY23 levels), but $250 million is needed to address the very large pipeline of projects.   Please help us fill the virtual room and then plan to come down to Annapolis to tell your Legislators how important these additional funds are so you can keep producing needed affordable housing units.

MAHC HOUSING DAYS February 15, 2023  - Virtual Program* 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. February 16, 2023 - Legislative Visits in Annapolis

REGISTER NOW

*Registration includes an option to join a County delegation for individual meetings with key Legislators. Please indicate which County group you wish to join, and links to individual meetings will be sent to you separately.

Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition 1212 York Road, Suite C 300, Lutherville, MD 21093 P: 443-758-6270  E: mdarden@mdahc.org

 Research Reports

New Study Discovers Actions to Improve Life for Residents with Disabilities in Federally-Assisted Housing

It is certain that disabled individuals and families, including those in federally assisted housing, face multiple challenges in gaining access to housing units and services that meet their needs—despite legal  frameworks meant to help them (Levy et al. 2015; Dawkins and Miller 2015). Disability is very  common, with an estimated 25% adults living with a disability, or around 61 million adults (Zhao et al.  2019). Some populations experience higher rates of disability, including women, older adults, adults  who identify as American Indian/Alaska Native, adults with lower incomes, adults living in the South,  and adults living in rural areas (Okoro et al. 2018; Zhao et al. 2019). 

Recent research has highlighted the significant number of disabled residents living in some federally  assisted housing programs (Dawkins and Miller 2015; Docter and Galvez 2019). Some 23% of  residents in housing funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),  including 24% of public housing residents and 19% those in project-based Section 8 rental units. For  LIHTC properties, 12.4% of households reported at least one member as disabled in 2019 (HUD 2021).

A recent report by the Urban Institute, Improving Experiences for Residents with Disabilities in Federally Assisted Family Housing (October, 2022), examines challenges to reasonable accommodation  processes and to service access. The research focused on three federal housing  programs providing affordable rental housing to eligible households with low incomes: public housing,  project-based rental assistance through the Section 8 program, and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC). The first two have a large percentage of housing built before 1980; the latter  program, while it has only funded units since the 1990s, is often used to refinance and renovate older  housing.

The report found that boosting funding, clarifying definitions and processes, and ensuring adequate  training for housing providers can increase equity in outcomes for federally assisted residents with  disabilities. Specific recommendations were:

(1) Provide more federal funding for reasonable accommodations in federally assisted housing to allow housing providers to meet legal requirements. Significant one-time outlays and/or an ongoing dedicated annual funding stream for housing providers to pay for accommodations would show the federal commitment to funding and enforcement of the law.

(2) Establish a better standard for “reasonableness” to promote access to accommodations across diverse federally assisted housing programs and providers. The law would be most effective if all residents were treated equally and could access the same accommodations from all housing providers receiving federal financial assistance. A clearer standard on financial and administrative burden would help. 

(3) Increase uniformity in reasonable accommodation request processes to ensure equitable treatment and outcomes for residents with disabilities. There is no federally prescribed process for reasonable accommodations requests. The lack of uniformity puts the burden of knowing the many rights and processes on residents with disabilities. For housing providers, the desire to avoid discrimination and legal challenge is high, but clear procedural guidance on how to protect against such challenge is low. In addition to the lack of clarity on what is “reasonable," the process has uncertainties.

(4) Train and involve more than one person per housing provider and property in reasonable accommodation request decisions to create a more transparent and fair process.

(5) Improve training, technical assistance, and learning opportunities for housing providers to strengthen reasonable accommodation request processes. Providers noted a lack of resources available  for troubleshooting challenges and workshopping solutions. They noted a need for clearer examples of  standards and processes, as well as access to targeted technical assistance on reasonable accommodations and fair housing practices.

(6) Improve relations between housing managers and tenants with disabilities.

(7) Congress and HUD should provide housing providers with sufficient funding to help support service-related needs. They should also explore funding collaborations with other federal agencies that serve residents living in public housing and that receive mutual benefit from residents receiving on-site services. 

Read the Urban Institute report.

Read the October 12, 2022 Urban Institute article.

 HUD RELEASES NEW HOMELESS COUNT

The key points in the just-released 2022 AHAR: Part 1 - PIT Estimates of Homelessness in the U.S. are:

• Between 2020 and 2022, the overall number of people experiencing homelessness increased by less than 1% (1,996 people).
• However, between 2021 and 2022, sheltered homelessness increased by 7%, or 22,504 people. 
• A total of 582,462 people experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2022. 
• 60% were staying in sheltered locations—emergency shelters, safe havens, or transitional housing programs.
• 40% were in unsheltered locations such as on the street, in abandoned buildings, or in other places not suitable for human habitation.

The report said that a possible cause for the increase in sheltered homelessness was the easing of pandemic-related restrictions some emergency shelter providers were using during the 2021 PIT count. These restrictions included reducing shelter capacity to allow for more space between people sleeping in congregate settings to reduce their exposure risk. The total number of shelter beds increased between 2021 and 2022, probably because of increased pandemic-related funding that supported additional non-congregate shelter beds. The number of veterans experiencing homelessness declined by 11% (4,123 fewer people) between 2020 and 2022. In 2022, 40,238 fewer veterans were experiencing homelessness than in 2009, when these data were first reported, a drop of nearly 55%. The 2022 report also provides estimates of chronic homelessness as well as data about people experiencing homelessness who are veterans, children, and youth.

HUD released its 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) Part 1 to Congress on December 19, 2022. The AHAR provides national estimates of homelessness, including demographic characteristics, service use patterns, and the capacity to house people experiencing homelessness. The report is based on Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) data regarding persons who experience homelessness during a 12-month period, point-in-time counts of people experiencing homelessness on one day in January, and data about the inventory of shelter and housing available in a community.

The 2022 AHAR Part 1 outlines the key findings of the Point-In-Time (PIT) count and Housing Inventory Count (HIC) that were conducted in January 2022. 

To view all AHARs since 2007, visit the AHAR page.

HUD User is a great source for various information about housing and housing trends.

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Source: HUD release, December 19, 2022.

 Because the City’s Inclusionary Housing Law has created Only 37 Affordable Units in 15 Years, the City Council is Making Changes.

At its November 17th Baltimore City Council meeting, everyone agreed that the city’s existing inclusionary housing ordinance isn’t working. Passed in 2007, the law requires developers of market-rate housing to set aside affordable units for people with lower incomes, but it has led to the creation of only 37 affordable units. Instead, developers have paid into an offset fund or sought waivers.

A bill now proposed by Councilwoman Odette Ramos and co-sponsored by a majority of the council would eliminate the loopholes allowed by the previous law, while also reducing the percentage of affordable units required. Instead of developers building 30 or more units to set aside 20% as affordable for residents earning less than the Baltimore area’s median income, developers receiving a city subsidy to build a 20+ units project would need to set aside 10% of units as affordable for low-income households (earning 60% of area median income). Developments getting an additional city subsidy would be required to add at least 5% more affordable units for residents who are very low or extremely low income. These units would have to remain affordable for 30 rather than the current 20 years. Developers would be required to submit an inclusionary housing plan to the city before receiving any project permits. That proposal, which also would require plans to market affordable units to residents who have historically been excluded from new developments, would have to be approved by the city’s Inclusionary Housing Board.

Some city housing and finance officials proposed some changes to Ramos’s proposed bill based upon recommendations from a 2021 study that analyzed the city’s real estate market and the feasibility of inclusionary housing. The study, conducted by Enterprise Community Partners, found that only the city’s strongest housing markets could support an inclusionary housing requirement. As a result, city officials have recommended applying the legislation to only “core” areas such as around the harbor and other select development-rich neighborhoods.

Source: https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-ci-baltimore-inclusionary-housing-20221118-jly3p7knxbe4jk3bfuajgurn3i-story.html.

Federal Advisory Committee on Affordable, Equitable and Sustainable Housing Formed

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that it will establish a Federal Advisory Committee on Affordable, Equitable and Sustainable Housing to provide guidance to the government about regulatory or policy changes needed to improve those housing issues. The committee's main activities will be the role of FHFA’s regulated entities, including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks (the Government-Sponsored Enterprises, or GSEs) in supporting liquidity and funding in the single-family and multifamily housing markets.

FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson commented: “The formation of an advisory committee will better position FHFA to fulfill its strategic goal of supporting access to affordable, equitable, and sustainable housing. Today’s announcement exemplifies our commitment to transparency, ongoing dialogue with stakeholders and the public, and thoughtful policymaking that connects equitable access with safety and soundness.”

Following publication in the Federal Register, the FHFA will be seeking applications and nominations for members, prioritizing relevant expertise related to the GSEs. To ensure diversity in the views represented by members, experience in at least one of the following areas will be required: fair housing, fair lending, or civil rights; single-family lending, servicing, development, mortgages, or capital markets; multifamily lending, servicing, development, mortgages, capital markets, or investments (i.e. Low-Income Housing Tax Credits); consumer, tenant, or community advocacy; market technology; state, local, or tribal government housing policies and programs; and academic or non-academic affiliated housing research.

Contact: Ada​m Russell​ - Adam.R​ussell@FHFA.gov

Read the full Federal Register notice for further details.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency regulates Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks. These government-sponsored enterprises provide more than $7.9 trillion in funding for the U.S. mortgage markets and financial institutions. Additional information is at www.FHFA.gov, on Twitter, @FHFA, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Read the August 23, 2022 FHFA news release.