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CHAI Advocates for Stable Housing in Maryland
Stable housing is central to wellbeing at every stage of life, from first-time buyers to older adults living in aging buildings. Mr. D, who bought his first home after participating in housing counseling with CHAI, knows firsthand how specialized guidance can make a dream achievable. “They [CHAI] helped me immensely and made the process go smoothly,” Mr. D shared while testifying in support of HB 343, which would require state-funded housing projects to provide information about housing counseling to prospective residents. Early counseling reduces the risk of foreclosure, eviction, and housing instability, helping both residents and state investments in housing succeed. Meanwhile, longtime resident Ms. B faces a different but equally urgent challenge. Living in a condo building with predominately older adults on fixed incomes, she and her neighbors are frightened every year before the assessment because they don’t know if they’ll be able to continue living there. “When you get to our age, you don’t want to have to be worrying every time there’s an assessment coming up, wondering if I’m going to be able to keep my condo. Where am I going to go? What am I going to do?” Ms. B’s experience underscores the need for HB 956, which calls for a study on aging condominium buildings to identify funding gaps that prevent essential repairs and could help target state support to vulnerable residents burdened with funding these gaps. CHAI understands these challenges deeply and is committed to advocating for measures that advance our vision of a resilient, inclusive northwest Baltimore, where our neighbors feel deeply rooted in both their homes and their community.
