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MARYLAND
HUD Establishes Equal Opportunities in Maryland
e U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) announced in October an agreement to resolve a
discrimination complaint against the fairness of the Maryland's
Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program.
e agreement is a result of a complaint filed with HUD in
2011 by the Baltimore Regional Housing Campaign (BRHC), a
coalition of housing and civil rights organizations.
HUD's report noted that the coalition's complaint alleged that
requiring local jurisdiction preapproval prevented the placement
of LIHTC-funded properties in predominately white areas,
thereby limiting housing opportunities for African-American and
Hispanic families in communities of opportunity.
e agreement establishes more flexible program rules in an
effort to provide equal and fair housing opportunities by creating
affordable housing in higher-opportunity neighborhoods in the
Baltimore region.
According to HUD, the settlement will specifically "increase
the number of affordable housing units in the region by as
many as 1,500, with more than 1,000 of those units being new
construction." In addition, "developers of affordable housing
will no longer have to satisfy previously required local scoring or
approval criteria before applying for state-allocated tax credits."
Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity of
HUD Anna Maria Farías said that the skyrocketing housing prices in
the Baltimore region are making it harder than ever for hardworking
families to find decent housing at prices they can afford.
"Today's agreement will help ensure that people of all
backgrounds who call this area home have more affordable
housing options in higher-opportunity neighborhoods," said
Farías.
BRHC said the state maintained a policy requiring local
jurisdictions to approve proposed affordable housing projects prior
to the consideration or allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax
Credits (LIHTC) to fund construction.
