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

 Did You Read This?

SEGREGATED, GENTRIFIED HOUSING REMAINS A PROBLEM IN 2022

Baltimore among top 20 "Extreme" Segregated Cities

ABC News has reported that "Despite 50 years of federal oversight under the Fair Housing Act of 1968, housing segregation continues in America’s largest cities and urban areas. A recent ABC News analysis of mortgage-lending data highlights a pattern of racial isolation that remains in place even after decades of failed initiatives."

ABC News’ top 20 “extreme” segregation list includes America’s largest metro areas, such as: Cleveland, Ohio; Buffalo, New York, Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; Jackson, Mississippi; Springfield, Massachusetts; New Orleans, Louisiana; Miami, Florida; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Baltimore, Maryland; Cincinnati, Ohio; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Providence, Rhode Island.

In addition to these cities, ABC News states, "unfair housing practices are ubiquitous across the States." In 2019, some 64.8% of the 347,000 white homebuyers who applied for mortgages in mostly non-white neighborhoods in the nation’s largest metro areas were approved for a loan. In contrast, only roughly 56% of the 715,000 non-white applicants got a loan in 2019 in those same majority non-white neighborhoods. 

In many cities, gentrification affects not only housing but the very communal spaces we associate with our home. Gentrification is forcing more non-white residents out of urban neighborhoods, along with the Black-owned businesses, churches, and cultural touchpoints that we’ve known and loved for years.

According to U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), chairperson of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs "We have never, as a nation, gone ‘all in’ on fair housing,” Brown told ABC News. “We’ve never, as a nation, tried to close that gap … that gap between black and white ownership.”

Read the February 9, 2022 Black Wall Street Times article.

 Housing Discrimination

HUD CHARGES COLORADO LANDLORD WITH HARASSMENT AND RETALIATION

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has charged Vernon Morgan, the owner of a house in Greeley, Colorado, with discrimination for subjecting a female tenant to harassment and retaliation because of sex. Read HUD’s Charge.

HUD’s Charge alleges that Morgan harassed the tenant because of her sex. His harassing conduct allegedly included frequent unwelcome invitations to meals, trips, and other activities; sexual and/or gendered innuendos, comments, and gestures; derogatory and belittling comments; and peering into the tenant’s windows from outside the property. The Charge alleges further that after the tenant told Morgan that his conduct was unwelcome and was sexual harassment, she sought a protection order against him and reported the harassment to the police. Morgan then retaliated against the tenant and tried to evict her. The Charge also alleges that because of Morgan’s illegal actions, the tenant was forced to vacate her home.

A U. S. Administrative Law Judge will hear HUD’s charge unless any party to the charge elects to have the case heard in federal district court. If an administrative law judge finds, after a hearing, that discrimination has occurred, the judge may award damages to the tenant for her losses as a result of the discrimination. The judge may also order injunctive relief and other equitable relief, to deter further discrimination, as well as payment of attorney fees. In addition, the judge may impose civil penalties to vindicate the public interest. If the federal court hears the case, the judge may also award punitive damages to the complainant.

*****

Source: December 8, 2022 HUD Press Release.

Housing Discrimination by Airbnb Hosts

New Airbnb Report Finds Home-Share Hosts Continue to Racially Discriminate

In a report released this week, Airbnb acknowledged that some home-share hosts are continuing to discriminate against guests based on race. This is the company's first public data on its steps to reduce racial disparities. Included in the report are some of the findings by Project Lighthouse, a project begun in 2020 by Airbnb and Color of Change. Color of Change is an online anti‌-discrimination group that uses internal company data to measure patterns of discrimination. Laura Murphy, ex-employee of the American Civil Liberties Union and a senior adviser to Airbnb, wrote the introduction to the report.

The report presents findings about its booking success rate, how often guests can make the reservations they prefer on Airbnb. Previous research has found that guests perceived to be Black - by name or other factors - are more likely to have their booking requests rejected than are those thought to be white. 

Since 2016, Airbnb has required all guests and hosts to agree to its "community commitment," to “agree to treat each other with respect and without judgment or bias,” and to follow a nondiscrimination policy. To reduce bias, in 2018 Airbnb stopped showing guests’ photos to hosts before a reservation was confirmed. Airbnb users do not identify their race. The report found that omitting photos has “slightly increased” the rate at which Black guests are able to book homes. The report also detailed that allowing more guests to use the Instant Book feature, letting individual users make reservations without being specifically approved by the host, has also helped Blacks make more bookings. Despite these strides, guests perceived to be white get the rental they want 94.1% of the time. Asian and Latino renters' success rates are somewhat less than that. Guests perceived to be Black get their choices 91.4% of the time. Discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation is not measured.

To improve minorities' success rate, Airbnb said it was testing changes to guest and host profile pages; enabling even more people to use Instant Book; allowing guests who are not the primary account holders to receive reviews in order to accumulate more of them for guests of color, who tend to be newer uses of the service; and improving its ability to audit reservation rejections.

The report is vague about what Airbnb is doing to oversee hosts and guests who show bias after a home is booked. Many Black home-share guests have complained on social media about their treatment, and the New York Times interviewed six about what they believed to be racism on the part of hosts.

*****

Source: Read the December 13, 2022 New York Times article.

 NATIONAL FAIR HOUSING TRENDS REPORT FINDS DISCRIMINATION CASES HAVE INCREASED

Fair Housing Trends Report 2022

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)'s newly released Fair Housing Trends Report documents the highest number of housing discrimination complaints since the data has been collected. Cases in the United States rose substantially in 2021, even though fewer agencies reported complaint data; this is a sign that the agencies investigating housing discrimination cases need more resources to address these critical problems. For the full report, click HERE  Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships HOME      ABOUT MCCR      SERVICES      PUBLICATIONS      EVENTS      PRESS      CONTACT US

Stay Connected with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights

NEW STUDY FINDS LOW-INCOME HISPANIC RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION NOT HELPED BY VOUCHER PROGRAM SINCE THE 1960s

      This project analyzes the geographic mobility and residential segregation of Hispanic households in U.S. urban areas since the 1960s. The study - "Residential Mobility and Hispanic Segregation: Spatial Assimilation and the Concentration of Poverty, 1960–2014 by Yana Kucheva of the City College of New York - has just been published in HUD's CityScape journal (Volume 23, No. 2) dated 2021 and entitled "The Hispanic Housing Experience in the United States."

      The purpose was to examine changes over time in the determinants of mobility of households across neighborhoods and simulate segregation levels for the Hispanic population given different outcomes of household residential mobility. 

      The findings were that residential mobility patterns for the Hispanic population interact with existing patterns of segregation by both race/ethnicity and income to reproduce and deepen segregation, especially for low-income Hispanic households. 

Policy Implications

      This study’s findings indicate that the Housing Choice Voucher program, which tries to decrease the concentration of poverty through the provision of expanded housing options, will not reach its goals if the specific factors pushing Hispanic and African-American low-income households into much poorer neighborhoods than White households are overcome.

Methodology

      The study used a set of discrete choice models of neighborhood mobility along multiple dimensions and use the predictions of the discrete choice models to explicitly connect household level moves to aggregate patterns of residential segregation by both race/ethnicity and income. The sources of data were geocoded decennial census and American Community Survey data for the period between 1960 and 2014.

Download the Report

 HUD TO HOLD HOUSING DISCRIMINATION IDENTIFICATION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER 27TH

On September 27, 2022, from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm EDT, 2M Research, with support from HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), is hosting a virtual conference focused on the identification and measurement of housing discrimination. This conference is part of an exciting study to find new and innovative methodologies that uncover and measure housing discrimination. Our objective is that these methodologies will augment current testing approaches, such as paired and sandwich testing. This conference is an opportunity to meet experts in the field of discrimination research and testing, discuss ideas, and ask questions. The conference will feature a panel discussion focused on various topics, including: Promising or innovative research trends related to discrimination Gaps in research and testing of discrimination Methodological challenges in researching and testing discrimination Adapting testing protocols to technological changes (for example, ways to detect and capture differential treatment that might occur before in-person interactions) Opening Remarks: Housing Discrimination Study Innovative Methodology Project Background James Murdoch, Senior Policy Analyst, 2M Research Hiren Nisar, Director of Analytics and Senior Economist, 2M Research Panel Moderators Peter Christensen, Assistant Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Christopher Timmins, Professor of Economics, Duke University Panel Mackenzie Alston, Assistant Professor, Department of Finance, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Peter Bergman, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Texas, Austin Fred Freiberg, Consultant for the Fair Housing Justice Center Peter Hull, Groos Family Assistant Professor of Economics, Brown University Stephen L. Ross, Professor of Economics, University of Connecticut We hope you can join this discussion on new ideas for measuring housing discrimination.

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.

 Johns Hopkins Professors Sue Real Estate Appraisal Company over Low Valuation of Homeland Property

Two Black Johns Hopkins University professors took down family photos and replaced them with pictures of white faces in an effort to increase the value of their home after an initial appraisal fell short of expectation, an outcome they believed was due to race and not the property’s condition. A different appraisal company valued the house at nearly 60% more when the home appeared to be owned by white people.

Hopkins professors Nathan Connolly and Shani Mott are suing for damages citing racial discrimination. They have filed a suit against loanDepot (Foothill Ranch, California), and 20/20 Valuations and Shane Lanham, the owner of 20/20 Valuations who conducted the first appraisal. The complaint alleges that all of the first appraiser's selected comparable homes were of lower quality than their home, and the appraisal wrongly said that their home had not been updated for 15 years. The complaint stated the appraiser “cherry-picked low value homes as comps,” and by doing so, he “ignored legitimately comparable homes with much higher sales prices.”

It is ironic that Connolly, a history professor at Johns Hopkins University, is an expert on redlining and the legacy of white supremacy in cities, with a lot of his research on the role of race in the housing market.

Over 97% of home appraisers are white, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Since summer, 2020, after George Floyd's murder, dozens of Black homeowners have alleged discrimination in their home valuations. Some have filed lawsuits. The Biden administration in March, 2022, proposed reforms to overhaul the appraisal industry and try to dismantle systemic bias.

Sources: Read the August 19, 2022 Baltimore Sun article. Read the August 18, 2022, New York Times article. Read the August 19, 2022 CNN article.

 National Study Finds Persistent Bias Against Non-White Renters

It also showed that landlords are less likely to reply to applicants with Black and Latino names. 

A recent National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study found that landlords are less likely to respond to applicants with African American and Latino sounding names when renting properties. This contributes to rising residential segregation. In the largest study of rental discrimination, fictitious renters with names associated with White, African American, or Hispanic identities, were used. The research tracked over 25,000 interactions between those people and 8,476 property managers in 50 of the largest U.S. cities. Renters with White-sounding name received a 60% response rate, compared to a 54% and 57% response rate for those with African American and Hispanic identities. Other research have documented similar trends in the buyer’s market. 

Research has found that appraisers consistently undervalue homes in Black and Latino neighborhoods. In the NBER analysis, it was found that a lack of a response to a renter of color decreased the likelihood that someone of that ethnic group would live in a property by around 17%. The most discrimination for Black renters was identified in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Louisville. Latinos in Louisville, Houston, and Providence, Rhode Island, faced the strongest constraints, according to a recent analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. 

Read the research report Racial Discrimination and Housing Outcomes in the United States Rental Market. 

Article source: Read the Bloomberg article

 Accessibility in Housing: Findings from the 2019 American Housing Survey

In a study by the SP Group LLC and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the biennial American Housing Survey (AHS), the stock of homes accessible to those with disabilities was examined. This was an augmented follow-up to the HUD 2011 AHS study that collected housing accessibility data, as some questions were added. Posted on March 17, 2022, the 30-page report discusses the findings from this module of housing accessibility questions. 

The 2019 AHS data show that almost 2 in 10 U.S. households include a person with accessibility needs (i.e., households that include someone with a mobility-related disability; someone who uses a mobility-assistive device; someone with difficulty accessing their home; or someone who has difficulty accessing or using bedrooms, bathrooms, or kitchens). The majority of these households, however, live in homes that are not fully accessible - almost 4 in 10 do not have accessibility features such as entry-level bedrooms or full bathrooms. Only a very small percentage of owner households planned to install such features or to make accessibility-related improvements to their homes.

Specifically, the report also found that 13% of U.S. households include someone who uses a mobility-assistive device, and 19% of households include an individual with accessibility needs. Some 6% of households include someone who has difficulty entering the home, or accessing or using a kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom due to a condition.

Download the report.

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/Accessibility-in-Housing-Report.html

 HOMELESS INFORMATION: MARYLAND

Search for Services

• Help hotlines
• Shelter
• HUD Resource Locator
• 
  

Are you at risk of losing your home?

• Contact a housing counselor
• Emergency rental assistance
• Avoid foreclosure
• Help with your utility bills
• 
  

Other Maryland Resources

Food banks

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Homeless service groups
• Legal assistance
• Social Security offices
• Homeless Veterans
• United Way
• Jobs and job training
• *****
• Source: US Department of HUD at https://www.hud.gov/states/maryland/homeless.

 April is Fair Housing Month 

The Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition is celebrating the 54th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act with a virtual Know Your Rights training session every Thursday morning in April. Can’t make it at that time? A recording of the training will be available to all training registrants.

1.  Thursday April 7, 11:00am - 12:00pm Know Your Rights: Fair Housing 101

This workshop reviews the basics of Fair Housing laws, including the protected classes in Maryland, examples of housing discrimination, and what to do if you think you’ve experienced illegal housing discrimination.

2.   Thursday April 14, 2022 11:00am - 12:00pm Know Your Rights: Disability and Housing

As many as 20% of all Marylanders have a disability. The Fair Housing Act not only protects people with disabilities from housing discrimination, it also affords them additional housing rights. Learn about your right to accommodations and modifications, how to advocate for yourself, and what to do if your housing provider denies your request.

3.   Thursday April 21, 2022 11:00am - 12:00pm Know Your Rights: The HOME Act

In 2020, Maryland expanded its fair housing laws by passing the HOME Act, which adds "source of income" as a protected class. This extends fair housing rights to people with government assistance like section 8 vouchers and eviction prevention funds, as well as others with non-wage income. Learn about your newest fair housing rights and how to report discrimination.

4. Thursday April 28, 2022 11:00am-12:30pm Know Your Rights: Fair Housing for Service Providers

This training is designed for case managers, housing counselors, and other services providers who work around housing or with members of protected classes. In this course, we will cover fair housing basics, disability rights, and the HOME Act with a focus on how to advocate for your clients’ rights. 

We are also pleased to offer four free, virtual Fair Housing Compliance training sessions for housing providers throughout April! Click here to see all our April events.

Follow us on Facebook and  Twitter , share this alert, and join as a  member or with a one-time donation to support our advocacy efforts. 

Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, Inc.

2209 Maryland Ave  | Baltimore, Maryland 21218

(410) 220-0494 | info@marylandconsumers.org

Baltimore City Begins Tax Sale Exemption Program to Keep Residents in Their Homes

This program helps homeowners avoid tax sale for unpaid City bills. 

The deadline to apply for this program is Friday, April 15. 

Learn more at https://dhcd.baltimorecity.gov/hho/tax-sale-prevention.

Learn more or register for a free homeowner clinic at http://www.myhomemydeed.org, or call 443-451-4066.

What is it?

The Tax Sale Exemption Program is an annual city program managed by the Departments of Finance and Housing and Community Development. Successful applicants have their properties removed from tax sale in the year they apply. However, this program does not forgive unpaid bills, and if the bills are not paid, they may qualify the property for tax sale the next year.

The city sets aside $2 million dollars annually. From that starting balance, the amount of each applicant’s liens is deducted from the balance remaining. Once the $2 million dollars is exhausted, the program closes. 

Eligibility

Homeowners who receive Final Bill and Legal Notices (FBLN) in February are eligible to participate in this program if they meet following criteria:

(1) The assessed value of their home is $250,000 or less (look it up here—SDAT: Real Property Search (maryland.gov)), and

(2) The homeowner has lived in their home as a primary residence for at least 15 years, and

One of the following criteria are met:

(1)  The homeowner has a total annual household earned income of $36,000 or less; or

(2)  The homeowner is at least 65 years old and has an annual earned income of $75,000 or less; or

(3)  The homeowner is an adult currently receiving disability benefits from the Federal Social Security Disability Insurance Program or the Supplemental Security Income Program and has an annual earned income of $75,000 or less.

How can I apply?

The number of properties removed from tax sale through this program is limited, and applications are reviewed on a first come, first served basis, so it is best to apply as early as you can. Applications are accepted February 15 – April 15 each year. You must apply every year for this exemption. You can:

Apply online at https://portal.neighborlysoftware.com/baltimoremd/Participant.

Download an application here: https://dhcd.baltimorecity.gov/files/final-tax-sale-exemption-application.pdf.

Or pick up a paper application at the 1st floor of the Abel Wolman Building, and the 11th floor of 417 E. Fayette Street, Baltimore, 21202. To submit a paper application, you may mail it or bring it to:

          Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development
          417 E. Fayette Street, Suite 1125 (11th floor)
          Baltimore, MD 21202

For more information regarding the application process please call the Department of Finance at 410. 396.3000 or email the Department of Housing & Community Development at dhcd.taxsaleinfo@baltimorecity.gov.

For More Information

To learn more about the tax sale process, avoiding tax sale, or to schedule a community-based information session, please contact Michael O'Leary, Tax Sale Services Coordinator at michael.oleary@baltimorecity.gov or 410-396-0273.

Baltimore City Department of Finance Tax Sale Information 2020 Tax Sale FAQs.