Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in Baltimore!

Happy Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Happy Asian Pacific American (or Asian American and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month! This month is a time to celebrate the histories and futures of Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders across the country and in Baltimore. Here are a few fun facts about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders living in Baltimore: About 15,000 people of Asian descent live in Baltimore City, and 9,600 of them are immigrants. Asian Americans have lived in Baltimore for many years! Baltimore’s first unofficial Chinatown was established in the 1880s and the first unofficial Koreatown began in the 1960s. This year, 2023, marks the 120th year of Korean immigration to Baltimore! Many Asian immigrants from various countries have found home in Baltimore: Vietnamese, Filipino, Afghani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, Thai, Taiwanese, and more! The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) hopes you have a great Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Some MIMA events that are happening: Asia North 2023: TRANSition/TRANSformation/TRANScendence - Parlor (108 W North Ave, Baltimore, MD 21201) and Motor House (120 W North Ave, Baltimore MD 21201). Friday, May 5 to Saturday, June 3rd. EmpoweReer Leadership Development Summer Program from Islamic Leadership Institute - This year Baltimore is accepting a total of 65 youth for a six-week career empowerment and leadership development program. Young adults aged 14-19 will have an opportunity to learn project management skills, leadership styles and traits, public speaking, build a professional Linkedin presence, visit global employers in Baltimore, and enjoy a couple of inspiring outdoor retreats. This is a great opportunity for those inspired to align personal development and career growth with real-life hands-on projects. Learn more and apply online at https://empowereer.org/  The Program runs July 17th through August 20th, 2023. Participants are eligible to receive stipends at the end of the program based on their performance. Transportation stipends are available as needed. Note that the Program is conducted in English. For questions, email info@empowereer.org. Are You Ready to Become a US Citizen? While permanent residents have most of the rights of U.S. citizens, there are additional important reasons to also consider becoming a citizen. Listed below are a few of the many benefits a person receives when he or she becomes a U.S. citizen: Ability to vote. Serve on a jury. Travel with a U.S. passport which allows you to get assistance from the U.S. government while overseas, if necessary. Get priority when petitioning to bring family members permanently to the U.S. Obtain citizenship for children under 18 years of age. Apply for federal jobs. Become an elected official. Become eligible for federal grants and scholarships. Obtain government benefits.  For information regarding citizenship services such as application assistance, interview or exam preparation, and more in the City of Baltimore, please see the following brochures in different languages:  English Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Chinese Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Arabic Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  French Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Korean Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Nepalese Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen?  Spanish Are you ready to become a U.S. Citizen? ***** Source: MIMA Monthly Newsletter - May 2023.  The mission of MIMA (Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs) is "to promote community wellbeing, economic development, and the integration of immigrant communities by identifying needs and opportunities that immigrants bring to our city, while developing public-private partnerships to strengthen the development of these communities."

 Help to Avoid Mortgage Default

Mortgage Assistance Program Expansion Estimated to Help More Than 1,000 Additional Marylanders Stay in Their Homes Since Homeowner Assistance Fund Program Began in 2021, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has Assisted More Than 11,000 Marylanders Residents Behind on Payments, Housing Costs NEW CARROLLTON (May 25, 2023) — The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has helped more than 11,000 homeowners behind on housing-related payments, including 6,000 who were facing foreclosure, stay in their homes since the Homeowner Assistance Fund program launched in March 2021. 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 department has quickly adapted the Homeowner Assistance Program to extend its reach given new housing market conditions that didn’t exist when the program started,” said Jake Day, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. “This assistance supports long-term, sustainable solutions for homeowners who are still dealing with the aftereffects of pandemic-related hardships.” 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. One such homeowner, a Bowie resident, was days away from foreclosure and shared their story on working with the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund.  “If it were not for DHCD and its Homeowners Assistance Fund team, I would have lost my home to foreclosure,” the resident wrote to the Department. “I was in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy and fell behind on mortgage payments due to COVID-related income reduction. I had consultations with two lawyers and they both informed me that time was not on my side and to try to sell my house as quickly as possible so I could get some equity out of it, but they were even pessimistic about that. I'm a single parent and was very scared of how losing my home would impact my 12-year-old daughter. My home was about 7 days away from a foreclosure sale when HAF stepped in and processed my application. The foreclosure sale was canceled two days later and my loan was reinstated. HAF also paid for my water bill arrears! Shout out to HAF for having such amazing staff!” 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 more detailed information on eligibility and to apply for assistance, go to 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, Director, Office of Public Information - brandi.bottalico@maryland.gov

 Fair Housing Training May 22-June 23

Free Fair Housing Training Offered by Economic Action Maryland

Too many renters still face discrimination - often without knowing it. Renters have rights! Economic Action Maryland is offering free, online training to educate tenants about their fair housing rights, and what to do if they have faced discrimination. 

Check out the schedule below. Can’t make it at that time? A recording of the training will be available to all training registrants: info@econaction.org.

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. Offered twice! Friday May 26, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and Friday June 9, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

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. Offered twice! Friday June 2, 10:00a - 11:00 a.m. and Friday June 16, 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Know Your Rights: 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. Friday June 23, 10:00 a.m - 11:00 a.m.

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P.S. If you aren’t already a member, we would love to have you join! Members give us power and strength. You can join as an individual or organizational member. If you can’t join as a member, consider a one-time or sustaining donation. We’re up against highly paid Annapolis lobbyists and your support enables us to be in Annapolis and win these fights for economic rights.

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Economic Action Maryland

2209 Maryland Ave  | Baltimore, Maryland 21218

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

 Results of a Recent Study

Study Finds Baltimore Children who moved from High-Poverty to Low-Poverty Areas had Improved Asthma

The health of Baltimore children with asthma in a subsidized program assisting them to move from high-poverty to low-poverty neighborhoods significantly improved, according to a study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The children experienced fewer asthma attacks after moving and had symptoms on fewer days. These were improvements on par with medication used to treat the chronic condition, said Dr. Craig Pollack, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Hopkins School of Nursing and a lead author of the study.

Asthma constricts airways in the lungs and causes wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, and trouble breathing. It affects 13.7% of adults in Baltimore compared to 9% across the state and country. About a third of Baltimore high school students have been told by a doctor or nurse that they have asthma, compared to about a fourth statewide. The city also has the highest rate of emergency department visits due to asthma in Maryland. Nationwide, Black children are two to three times more likely to have asthma than white children, and have more than twice the risk for emergency department visits and hospitalizations because of the disease, according to the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study found that a major reason why children’s asthma got better after their families moved was because their new neighborhoods had fewer stressors. “Housing mobility programs that help families overcome the barriers to moving can also impact health,” Dr. Pollack said. “As policymakers and practitioners are thinking about the cost of these programs, they should consider the health benefits as well.”

Dr. Corinne Keet, a professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and another author on the study, commented "Anyone living in Baltimore understands the impact of violence and poverty on people’s health,” she said. “I mean, it’s pervasive.”

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Sources: Angela Roberts, "Study: Baltimore children moved from high-poverty to low-poverty areas saw their asthma improve," Baltimore Sun, May 16, 2023.

 Free Cannabis Related Civil Rights Workshop

Join us as we discuss the implications of the decriminalization of cannabis and the impact on employment. To register, click HERE   REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND! For reasonable accommodation requests, please contact: mccr.admin@maryland.gov no later than one week prior to the event.

Victim of Discrimination? Training & Partnerships

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 Free Program to Combat Anti-Semitism

Register Here

 Free Seminars on May 2, 9, & 16

Interfaith Center to Hold Free Messianic Judaism and Christian Zionism Seminar

When: May 2, 9 & 16, 2023

Times: Noon–1:30 PM EDT, OR 7:00–8:30 PM EDT

Location: Zoom

Free—Register Today:

REGISTRATION FOR AFTERNOON    REGISTRATION FOR EVENING

You can't understand Christian nationalism & the January 6th Capitol Riot without recognizing the roles that Messianic Judaism & Christian Zionism play in Charismatic Christianity. But where did these movements come from & why are they viewed so differently by Jews & Christians? Attend a free 3-week online course beginning on Tuesday, May 2 taught by Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies (ICJS) Protestant scholar Matthew D. Taylor, the Institute's resident expert on Christian nationalism. There will be afternoon and evening sessions. Register for the zoom link.

The instructor Matthew D. Taylor, Ph.D., is the Protestant Scholar at ICJS, where he specializes in Muslim-Christian dialogue, Evangelical and Pentecostal movements, religious politics in the U.S., and American Islam. Before coming to ICJS, Taylor served on the faculty of Georgetown University and George Washington University, and he is currently a faculty member in the Theology Department at Loyola University Maryland. His forthcoming book, Scripture People: Salafi Muslims in Evangelical Christians’ America (Cambridge University Press, 2023), offers an introduction to the oft-misunderstood Salafi movement in the U.S. by way of comparison with American Evangelicalism.

Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies

956 Dulaney Valley Rd

Baltimore, Maryland 21204

410.494.7161|icjs.org

info@icjs.org