Maryland Reaches Fair Housing Agreement
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Maryland is agreeing with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to finance the development of 1,500 affordable housing units in neighborhoods throughout the Baltimore region. That's according to our media partners at The Baltimore Sun.
The agreement settles a fair-housing complaint that was brought against the state in 2011 by a coalition of civil rights and fair-housing advocacy organizations. The coalition accused the state of reinforcing housing segregation by clustering subsidized, affordable housing developments together and in less desirable areas.
Fair housing advocates have applauded the deal as a significant commitment by the state to improve access for low-income renters to well-off neighborhoods that they have been excluded from in the past.
The coalition includes the Citizens' Planning & Housing Association, the Innovative Housing Institute in Baltimore, and the Poverty & Race Research Action Council in Washington, D.C..
The agreement builds on changes Maryland started making to its system for distributing low-income housing tax credits, the government's primary tool for encouraging private developers to build affordable housing developments.
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