News – Page 14

NCSG research used to support rent assistance bill

A new bill before the Baltimore City Council would offer up to $1,500 a month in rental assistance for families experiencing housing emergencies.

Legislation introduced by Councilwoman Odette Ramos calls for the Department of Housing & Community Development to give up to 12 payments directly to participants’ landlords.

The bill draws on findings from a study by the University of Maryland’s National Center for Smart Growth and Enterprise Community Partners, which noted that the amount of both owner and renter households that are severely cost burdened — meaning they pay at least half of their income toward housing — has increased dramatically throughout Maryland since 2000.

The study highlights a shortage of 85,000 affordable housing units throughout the state for households earning less than 30% of median income and notes that people of color, individuals with disabilities and seniors are disproportionately affected by housing hurdles such as high security deposits.

NCSG’s work on Maryland Housing Needs Assessment featured by Maryland Department of Planning

The Maryland Department of Planning featured NCSG’s work on the Maryland Housing Needs Assessment in a new blog post. Check it out here.

There is a common misconception of what affordable housing is and who needs it, which adds to the challenge of providing affordable housing while need increases and supply continues to decrease in many locations across the country. To address this issue for Marylanders, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) commissioned the Maryland Housing Needs Assessment & 10-Year Strategic Plan (Housing Needs Assessment) to “chart a course for Maryland to become a more affordable place to live by 2030.”

Nick FinioFeb 08No Comments

PLCC featured in the Washington Post

The NCSG’s Purple Line Corridor Coalition was featured in a Washington Post story about rising rents and potential displacement along the train’s alignment. Read the story here. Gerrit Knaap and Sheila Somashekhar were quoted in the story.

Even as most construction on Maryland’s Purple Line stalled for the past 16 months, a group of academics, housing advocates, companies and nonprofits has continued to try to prevent the rail line from pricing out the residents and businesses it is intended to serve.

Leaders of the Purple Line Corridor Coalition, which operates out of the University of Maryland, say the lull in major construction since the project’s prime contractor quit in September 2020 has granted more time to try to ward off the fast-rising rents that typically follow new transit stations. The concern is particularly acute for areas along the rail alignment that have remained relatively affordable in eastern Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

“You really need to start early if you want to get ahead of what we see happening in the D.C. region and beyond,” coalition director Sheila Somashekhar said. “Sometimes when you invest in communities, it doesn’t benefit the people who have been there a long time. … We’re already seeing rents rising along the [Purple Line] corridor in areas that, in some ways, are the last bastions of affordability in our region.”

Nick FinioJan 12No Comments