Committee Mission
Ensure that Hispanics share in Governor O’Malley’s vision that “all Marylanders have the opportunity to live and prosper in affordable, desirable, and secure housing in thriving communities” and in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Community Development help mitigate foreclosures, prevent fraud, sustain efforts to increase homeownership, and facilitate neighborhood stabilization for Hispanic communities across the state.
2009 Goals
- Continue to review, familiarize, be a resource, gauge the impact of, and support the programs and outreach efforts of the Department of Housing and Community Development of benefit toward the Hispanic community.
- Begin providing feedback on programs and their execution to the Department of Housing and Community Development to increase Hispanic participation, and help build awareness in the community about those efforts and benefits to maximize results.
- Leverage the resources of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives to disseminate bilingual information to the community on the top three priority issues identified.
2008 Accomplishments
- Established a collaborative relationship with the Department of Housing and Community Development to become familiar with programs, resources, and priorities; identified the top three priorities currently impacting Hispanic housing issues (foreclosure prevention; fraud prevention; and neighborhood stabilization); and learned about state regions most affected by these issues.
- Identified local organizations working within the affected regions helping Hispanics mitigate foreclosures to understand the barriers that affected Hispanics’ encounter in seeking available assistance, promote state resources and programs, and facilitate the process for receiving this assistance.
- Voluntarily reviewed and edited bilingual material for the Department of Housing and Community Development and other organizations to improve efficacy of their outreach efforts to the community.
- Identified and established working relationships with the Governor’s Faith-Based Initiatives Coordinator and other leading faith-based organizations to ensure the Governor’s new foreclosure protection laws and State resources are promoted and disseminated via the most trust-worthy avenues to gain the confidence and ensure the privacy of beneficiaries.
- Held five Homeownership Foreclosure Prevention and Mitigation Workshops in those areas most affected by this crisis in Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Howard Counties, serving a total of over 400 families.
Overview
Maryland’s strong, diverse economy has helped it weather the national financial crisis better than most states around the nation; however, it began affecting some families at a more personal level with minimized work hours, layoffs and unemployment. Under these circumstances, home foreclosures rapidly became a real threat for many of these Maryland families. Governor O’Malley, Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez and Secretary of Housing and Community Development Raymond Skinner proceeded to accelerate housing and foreclosure law reforms to become the first in the nation to have sweeping new protections to ensure Maryland homeowners have greater access to resources and time to prevent home foreclosures and increase fraud prevention from predatory and unsafe lending practices. Hailed as “the most extensive reforms in housing and foreclosure laws across the country,” by the Washington Post newspaper, a total of $5.5 million have been distributed in direct assistance to families via the state’s partnership with thirty non-profit housing counseling agencies statewide and two legal service providers. The new laws restructure the foreclosure process to extend from 14 days to 135 days the time provided to a homeowner to seek the most accommodating alternative to keep their home. Facing the greatest financial and housing crisis since the 1930’s, the state has swiftly moved to curtail potential further damage to Maryland families and their home investments.
Playing a central role in mitigating home foreclosures for Hispanics, the Commission’s Housing Committee was engaged at all levels to employ the new state laws and resources to the community’s most distressed homeowners. The Housing Committee reviewed policies for effective cultural outreach by Department of Housing officials. It collaborated as an intermediary between the Department of Housing and Community Development and El Tiempo Latino, a Washington Post newspaper to facilitate the publishing of the bilingual Housing News Insert: “Especial Vivienda”, to inform the public at large of the new housing laws and available state resources. The Committee also worked hand-in-hand with faith community leaders and other key stakeholders to hold several free, bilingual Housing Solutions and Foreclosure Mitigation Workshops in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Howard Counties. These Workshops were attended by over 400 Hispanic families, and in the process, solidified the Commission’s relationships with stake-holding partners. These partnerships are fundamental for success and will continue to be key for the Housing Committee and the Commission in its future endeavors.