Lara Fritts, CEcD, FM

Rivers & Roads publishes the latest white paper on scattered site housing, offering a solution to Maryland's affordable housing crisis, particularly in rural areas. Our paper addresses the pressing challenges faced by individuals and families across urban and rural Maryland due to escalating housing costs. Unlike traditional large housing projects, scattered site housing disperses publicly funded rental units within communities, promoting social cohesion and addressing local opposition and funding hurdles. "Our work underscores the need for mixed-income developments that seamlessly integrate into existing neighborhoods," says Rivers & Roads partner Ross Benincasa. "We're not just tackling the housing crisis; we're fostering cohesive, inclusive communities." Discover case studies from urban to rural settings, showcasing the adaptability and success of scattered site housing. Our white paper outlines actionable recommendations for Maryland, including dedicated funding streams and public-private partnerships. With nearly 30% of renters in Maryland spending over half their income on housing, our white paper's release couldn't be more timely. Let's work together to create a strategic approach to housing that supports economic stability and social cohesion across the state. We invite policymakers, developers, and community leaders to engage with the insights and recommendations in our white paper, as we strive to address the urgent need for more housing supply in our rural communities. #AffordableHousing #CommunityIntegration #ScatteredSiteHousing #MarylandHousingCrisis 🌟

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ICYMI, in this week’s blog, local executives offer insights on navigating the design review and permitting process for behavioral health construction projects. With recent experience at Inova Mount Vernon, Inova Fairfax, Frederick Health, Howard County Medical Center, and Virginia's new Central State Hospital, they understand that behavioral health construction projects have unique considerations, especially regarding patient and staff safety. That's why they're sharing their tips for success. To read the full blog visit: https://lnkd.in/eNRzvC-e #GilbaneInk #HealthcareConstruction #HealthcareDesign #BehavioralHealth

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HUD Publishes Rollback of DSCR, Impacting Multifamily Housing Industry The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released two important Mortgagee Letters, ML 2025-02 and ML 2025-03. These letters introduce a new middle-income housing option under the 221(d)(4) program and outline significant changes to multifamily financing, specifically in the areas of Debt Service Coverage Ratios (DSCR) and Loan to Value/Loan to Cost Ratios (LTV/LTC) respectively. Through ML-2025-02, the DSCR for Middle Income Housing, (defined as 50% of units targeted for tenant income levels up to 120% AMI with no rent advantage), rolls back from 1.176X to 1.11X and LTC will increase from 85% to 90%. A use restriction period, monitored by a state or local government entity, must be up to 10 years, although waivers can be sought for restrictions from 5-10 years. The long-awaited ML 2025-03 rolls back the DSCR for market rate (or LIHTC without rent advantage) to 1.15X and increases LTV/LTC to 87.0%. LIHTC properties with rent advantage have been rolled back to a DSCR of 1.11X and LTV/LTC have increased to 90.0%. What does this mean for multifamily programs and developers? With these transformative changes, developers can now access higher loan proceeds, reducing the upfront cash required for FHA transactions. This strategic shift not only enhances the competitiveness of FHA transactions in today's dynamic market but also inspires lenders and developers to champion affordable rental housing for individuals and families with modest incomes. For information about how Churchill Stateside Group can support your financial objectives, please contact our production team via email at [email protected] or visit https://hubs.la/Q0324kc50. #ChurchillStateside #Development #Housing #Multifamily #HUD

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A public-private partnership model that has “shown results in Maryland and Georgia” could pave the way for local solutions to affordable housing challenges if federal financing is reduced or eliminated. https://lnkd.in/eh9YV8qw #affordablehousing #affordablehousingfinance #communityimpact

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NEW IN BALTIMORE CITY - TENANT OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE ACT Effective April 13, 2024, the City of Baltimore has enacted a new Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act related to single-family dwelling units (the “Act”). It repeals and replaces in its entirety Baltimore City’s long-standing “Tenant’s Right of First Refusal” statute. The Act provides that, before a landlord can sell a single-family dwelling unit, the landlord must give any tenant the opportunity to purchase the unit. Highlights of the Act: -applies to single-family dwelling units -requires landlords to provide tenants with a written offer of sale prior to offering the single-family dwelling unit for sale to another party -the written offer of sale must be delivered (by first-class mail or hand-delivery) to tenants and to the Commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development -tenants have 14 calendar days from receipt of offer of sale to provide a statement of interest to the landlord and an additional 14 calendar days from the date of submission of the statement of interest to accept the offer of sale by submitting a written contract to the landlord -requires landlords to file in Land Records (with the Deed) and with the Commissioner of the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development an affidavit certifying that the requirements of the Act have been met -where the affidavit of compliance is filed as required by the Act, the rights and title of third-party transferees and the transferees’ heirs, successors and assign are free of any restriction or claim arising in favor of a tenant under the Act -the rights of tenants under the Act are not assignable There are a number of exemptions under the Act including, but not limited to: • transfers to spouses, children, parents, siblings and in-laws of the landlord • transfers by personal representative from a decedent’s estate made in the course of administration of the estate • gifts to religious and charitable tax-exempt donees • transfers to government agencies • mortgages and deeds of trust • deed in lieu of foreclosure Contact us for more information - [email protected] or (888) 486-5511.

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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) hosted an update event featuring two panels discussing how transit-oriented development (TOD) and affordable housing can complement each other. #realestatdevelopment https://lnkd.in/eeFiy4ua

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*New Report: IBO analyzes 14 years of data from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to examine #affordablehousing unit production, City spending on subsidies, and affordability levels of housing produced by these City programs. This historical lookback has implications for understanding the Adams administration’s City of Yes for Housing Opportunity which is expected to soon be brought to a City Council vote. Read the report here: https://bit.ly/41eZggX

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-FEMA limits disaster spending to immediate needs -Consumer protections apply to contracts for deed -Federal agencies launch national heat strategy -Funds available for removing barriers to affordable housing -HUD offers CDBG Section 108 “Legacy Challenge” -HUD-VASH voucher program revised -HUD asks how to expand Choice Neighborhoods program’s reach and more in this issue of #HACNews https://loom.ly/gnODlOs

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In the Washington, D.C. area, the Washington Housing Initiative (WHI) is a partnership launched in 2018 by real estate firm JBG Smith and the nonprofit Federal City Council to address the rental affordability needs of moderate-income households. Using a market-based model, WHI raises private capital through a social impact fund called the Impact Pool, that it lends to WHI-affiliated Washington Housing Conservancy or another mission-driven nonprofit to purchase and operate naturally occurring affordable #rental housing in high-opportunity neighborhoods with rising rents to preserve affordability for moderate-income residents. Between January 2020 and April 2024, WHI had helped preserve more than 3,000 units of workforce rental housing at 9 properties throughout the D.C. region. Read more on HUD User’s #PDREdge: https://lnkd.in/eEWdCZxh

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Check out WHC's CEO Kimberly Driggins and Brian Allan Jackson, President of LEO Impact Capital's interview in HUD User's recent article on #affordablehousing preservation.

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"Survey of Rural Municipal Leaders: Housing Affordability Continues to be a Major Issue" A joint survey conducted in October 2024 by the NYS Association of Towns and the Rural Housing Coalition of New York reaffirmed that housing affordability continues to be a major issue confronting rural communities throughout the state. The poll of municipal leaders found that 68% of respondents believed that housing affordability was a major concern in their towns and villages. Affordable housing is generally defined as housing (either owner-occupied or rental) for which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities. The results of this new poll reaffirms a Marist Poll commissioned by the Rural Housing Coalition in November 2023 that showed that 73% of New York residents reported that the affordability of housing is a major problem in their communities. This concern was widespread across the state, with 67% of rural residents, 69% of suburban residents and 81% of urban residents feeling housing affordability was a major issue. The survey of municipal leaders also found that the three major obstacles to building affordable housing are: 1) Lack of infrastructure, 2) Lack of dedicated funding at the state level for rural housing and 3) Lack of capacity at the local level (i.e. no government or non-profit entity dedicated to building affordable housing in their community). "Infrastructure continues to be a major concern for municipal leaders and we look forward to working with state policymakers and other stakeholders to create an ongoing source of state funding that would support housing related infrastructure improvements," stated Chris Koetzle, NYSAT Executive Director. "The Legislature has been very responsive over the last few years to the needs of Rural New York and we hope that continues into the next legislative session as we seek to address the obstacles raised by this survey," stated Michael J. Borges, RHC Executive Director. The survey of municipal leaders also uncovered that 53% of respondents are interested in having a housing needs assessment conducted of their county or community, which is a plan that identifies the type of housing needed, where it can be built, obstacles to building housing like zoning or lack of infrastructure, and potential steps forward. The Rural Housing Coalition and Association of Towns call upon state policymakers to address the obstacles identified in the survey by creating an infrastructure fund that supports the development of housing in communities lacking infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, fund housing programs targeted toward smaller scale housing development like the Small Rental Development Initiative (SRDI), and support communities interested in having a housing needs assessment completed. View the survey - https://lnkd.in/gxAeGCw6

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"[The best thing about working in housing is] Being able to actively make a tangible difference in the lives of those in society who would otherwise be at risk of long-term unemployment or unable to achieve their individual career ambitions." Nevinder Ram of ACH is one of Housing Today’s Top 30 Housing Champions #HTEveryPersonCounts #Top30HousingChampions https://lnkd.in/eTnaDxm8

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Here are our reflections on #Housing24: https://lnkd.in/eYUkDVUk TL;DR👀 #Housing24 revealed a 91% surge in complaints and a 20% drop in tenant satisfaction over six years. Increased tenant expectations and biased surveys are key issues. Success stories show that investing in customer experience (CX), service reviews, and mature data practices pays off. Consistent, cross-channel and unbiased surveys, as seen at Wigan Council illustrate the technology is there with GovMetric CX to assist today. Accurate data drives service improvements and cuts complaint costs. Here's how we can help: https://lnkd.in/eZs_PuiP Housing 2024 Housemark #housinguk #socialhousing

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The City Planning Commission has approved the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning text amendment, which aims to enable the development of 58,000 to 109,000 homes over the next 15 years. Key changes include simplifying office-to-residential conversions, permitting mixed-use buildings in low-density districts, removing parking requirements for new residential construction, and allowing accessory dwelling units in one- to two-family homes. The amendment now moves to the City Council for approval, where further revisions may occur. For more details, navigate to the link: https://bit.ly/4dw6OOK. #RealEstate #ZoningAmendment #CityPlanning #Developers #RealEstateDevelopment #LegislativeUpdate #NYC #Zoning #MixedUseDevelopment

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Discover how we've helped streamline the Federal Housing Administration and HUD Office of Housing's asset sales transaction cycle to support the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mission-driven goals of expanding affordable housing: https://lnkd.in/eidMe7Km #housing #federalhousing

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"Using a $5 million line of credit from Seed Commons, a cooperatively-governed national community development finance institution, or CDFI, WaterBottle has deployed $3.8 million to acquire 22 properties in West Baltimore. The other $1.2 million will be used to acquire and fix up an additional eight properties by year’s end. "Seed Commons [sic] extended the financing through its local entity Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy, or BRED, which provides non-extractive, patient debt financing and technical assistance to cooperatives of all stripes, mostly in Baltimore but also throughout Maryland." Follow Water Bottle companies, Appalachian Field Services and Rising Housing. https://lnkd.in/eMtwpkWy #workercoop #cooperatives #cooperativeeconomics #solidarityeconomy #economicdemocracy #democracyatwork  #commerciallending #businessloans #coopfinance #nonextractivefinance #bredbaltimore #seedcommons #baltimore #baltimorerealestate #marylandrealestate

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A recent assessment of RHS research provides a comprehensive overview of the affordable housing crisis as it currently stands in 2024. Download the PDF at the link below to learn more about the indicators perpetuating the crisis, as well as what is needed for viable housing solutions:   https://lnkd.in/emrax95d  

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"As members of the Manchester Neighbors Welcome Coalition, we know that Manchester needs more homes at different prices and sizes for our current and future neighbors...The proposed zoning code takes some steps in the right direction, but it can and should do more to address Manchester’s housing needs. We have a choice. Will Manchester return to being a community where people of all income levels can find a home within their budgets? Or will we allow ourselves to become a playground for the wealthy where no workers can afford to live? Our zoning code is how we will decide." https://lnkd.in/ewMfZsEd #affordablehousing #walkablecities #economicdevelopment #NHhousing

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In addition to examining the intersection of housing and the criminal legal system in Washington D.C., our comprehensive landscape analysis extended to Baltimore City, conducted in collaboration with Enterprise Community Partners and with the invaluable support of the city's housing and reentry leaders.  . Our in-depth assessment aimed to broaden insights into the housing needs of individuals with justice involvement and the existing provider infrastructure and policy initiatives. Through interviews with key stakeholders, including nonprofits, public agencies, service providers, advocates, policy experts, and individuals with lived experience, we uncovered a multifaceted landscape with less collaborative and fair housing infrastructure focused on housing for individuals with justice system contact.  . The profiled providers shared critical lessons and recommendations, emphasizing the significance of lived experience in leadership, advocacy for fair housing funding, trauma-informed approaches, strategic partnerships, diverse housing models, the strengthening of fair housing infrastructure, and creative funding strategies. As we present these key insights, we encourage you to delve into the report, offering a nuanced understanding of Baltimore City's dynamic housing landscape and supports for individuals and communities impacted by the legal system.  . Beyond housing, our analysis underscores the interconnected challenges individuals face, such as housing instability, underemployment, unemployment, unmet mental health needs, and histories of trauma. Moreover, we acknowledge the broader societal factors contributing to higher arrest rates, conviction rates, and more severe sentences in communities marked by high poverty rates, structural barriers, racism, exclusion, adverse childhood events, involvement in systems like child welfare, experiences of trauma and violence, substance use disorder, mental health challenges, lower educational attainment, disability, and household instability.  . It is crucial to thoroughly understand the impact of these factors, as well as to adopt a comprehensive, intersectional approach to address them. Developing and implementing effective strategies to reform systems is key to making meaningful progress. Check out the full report to learn more: link in comments!   .  .  .  .  #HousingJustice #Homelessness #PermanentHousing #SupportiveHousing 🤝🏡 

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