Housing

DEFINITION/DESCRIPTION
Safe, decent and affordable housing is a basic need of every City resident and is fundamental to creating cohesive neighborhoods where every resident thrives. Desirable neighborhoods offer housing types that are accessible at all income levels, physical abilities and life stages. Quality and diverse housing offers choices to low and moderate-­‐income families; preserves existing, stable housing, generates interest and investment resulting in desirable schools, usable retail, and proximity to open space, a healthy natural and built environment and engaged community partners.

 

CURRENT STATUS
The City is focusing on creating healthy communities and strengthening the connection between housing and health; ensuring stable housing markets and neighborhoods. Vacants to Value is a market-­ based, data driven, geographically focused initiative to address conditions of blight and abandonment in target areas. Its seven strategies can be applied individually or collectively. The City eliminates blight focusing on a whole-­‐block approach, inspecting and preserving housing and weatherizing homes. These methods attract resources and leverage city investments. An ePermit system launched to streamline the permit process.  Providing  financial,  social  and economic  support  to  residents  minimizes  social  and economic disparities that can result when neighborhoods undergo transformative change.

 

EQUITY INDICATORS
Baltimore suffers from patterns of racial housing segregation established decades ago: redlining denied homeownership opportunities based on race and ethnicity. These patterns are tied closely to opportunity and wealth disparities. The impacts remain today. Families make housing decisions based on criteria such as income, quality schools and, accessibility to services and employment. Many of the City’s communities of color and low-­‐income families do not have these choices and live in neighborhoods that are physically unsafe, environmentally hazardous and psychologically debilitating. And, neighborhoods characterized as desirable frequently lack affordable housing. Families often pay more than they can afford: 55 percent of renters and 32 percent of homeowners are considered to be housing burdened.

STRATEGIES
1. Provide  and  support a  range  of housing  types that accommodate  all income levels, physical needs and life stages and are accessible to transit, employment centers, retail, healthcare and other amenities. Direct resources to support housing and development in close proximity to critical amenities such as multi-­‐modal transit, employment centers, schools, parks and grocery stores. As neighborhoods are transformed, city resources and policies ensure that new projects include units that are available to very low, low-­‐moderate and working-­‐income households, accommodate  a  range  of physical needs and  provide  supportive  services to  all 
residents.

Action 1 -­ Direct city resources to neighborhoods where public investment will leverage additional investment; increase the supply of affordable housing in high market areas andstabilize and protect current homeowner’s investment.

Action 2 -­ Explore innovative financing opportunities that can leverage City resources, while helping to build the production capacity of its non-­‐profit affordable housing providers.

Action 3 -­ Review city regulations and processes, amend to minimize impediments and develop new policies that spur new affordable housing initiatives such as tiny homes.

2. Use Blight Elimination to create healthy, safe and attractive neighborhoods.
Working in partnership with its development partners, strategically identify blight opportunities.

Action 1 -­ Continue reducing the City’s vacant property inventory and transform vacant land to enhance neighborhoods by transforming vacant lots, connecting housing efforts to transportation and workforce development.

Action 2 -­ Promote cross-­‐cultural competency (engaging and understanding of different cultures) marketing and celebrating diverse neighborhoods, maintaining  and  creating  high  quality infrastructure,  preventing  foreclosures  and  piloting  intentional  integration strategies.

Action 3 -­ Continue collaborative efforts and partnerships with community, institutional, public and private stakeholders to identify resources and strategies that will support and expedite Blight Elimination efforts.

3. Create, strengthen and sustain neighborhood housing markets
Preventing blight, building and supporting strong neighborhood housing markets requires a combination of financial incentives, technical assistance and individual support to ensure that homeowners can remain in their homes and benefit from increased housing values, while attracting new residents and maintaining existing rental properties.

Action 1 -­ Provide additional and flexible funds to prevent blight and enable current homeowners to maintain their properties and seniors to age in place.

Action 2 -­ Expand Healthy Neighborhoods, Live Near Your Work and increase home buyer incentives that are not income-­‐restricted to attract new homeowners.

Action 3 -­ Continue and expand efforts to reduce property tax burdens particularly in 
neighborhoods undergoing revitalization where increasing housing values result in displacement  and gentrification.

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METRICS FOR SUCCESS

Strategy 1:  Maintain inventory of city-­‐supported housing projects documenting investment and units created

Strategy 2: Demonstrate a XX% reduction in the City’s vacant property inventory by XX.

Strategy 3: Implement a blight prevention program in at least ten city neighborhoods by XX.

Qualitative: Improve the quality of housing through engaged community partners