Transcript Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing in Maryland

Affirmatively Furthering
Fair Housing Efforts in
Maryland
COSCDA Annual Conference
Salt Lake City Utah, September, 2013
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) is a legal requirement
under the Fair Housing Act, under which every American has the
right to fair housing, regardless of their race, color, national original,
religion, sex, disability or familial status.
• HUD provides examples of what it considers AFFH:
• Marketing available housing to persons less likely to apply (in an
MSA)
• Encouraging banks and other lending organizations to operate in
areas that are underserved, and providing services to the
underserved
• Encouraging banks to use non-traditional methods for evaluating
credit and loan terms
• Affirmatively marketing housing (part of QWHRA legislation)
which includes:
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Affirmative Marketing (continued):
• Advertising the availability of housing to a population less
likely to apply…through various forms of media
• Educating persons about fair housing and their obligations
• Conducting outreach to advocacy groups (i.e. disability
groups) on availability of housing, and
• Using the fair housing logo
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Some Ways DHCD meets the Marketing Elements:
• Ads for its programs in buses, subway trains
• Ads for its programs in movie theaters during the “coming
events”
• Direct mailings to targeted census tracts where housing
problems exist
• Ads on radio and TV, including Spanish language stations
• Having the Secretary or Deputy Secretary appear on TV shows
to talk about programs and efforts
• Going to Congressional Events with a housing focus (including
taking initial applications at these events for some of our
programs)
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Some ways DHCD met the Education and Outreach Elements
last year:
• Three DHCD sponsored State-wide events which covered
understanding housing rights and responsibilities,
discrimination, reasonable accommodation, etc.
• Seven non-DHCD lead fair housing events including fair
housing advocates, renters, landlord, real-estate professionals,
etc. where DHCD talked about programs, provided materials,
etc.
• Six HUD or entitlement jurisdiction events
• Partnerships with HUD field office, Baltimore Neighborhoods,
MD Commission on Human Relations that provided training
on affirmatively furthering fair housing (138 events reaching
over 6,800 individuals.)
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
• Marketing is not enough
• Some programs that Maryland uses to Affirmatively
Further Fair Housing:
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
HOME Investments Partnership Program
• Affirmative Marketing is a requirement of the HOME Program
(Section 92.351)
• At both project “kick-off” and “pre-closing” , meetings are held with
the development team, including the management company, as well
as HOME staff and MF staff that includes Affirmative Marketing
requirements.
• At loan closing for HOME funded projects, the State executes as part
of the regulatory agreement a HOME Marketing Plan, which is put in
the Deed of Trust.
• The success of the Marketing Plan is reviewed as part of the
ongoing monitoring for each program by an Asset Management
Officer of the Department.
• The Asset Manager also ensures data and measures are captured for
the marketing Plan.
• The HOME Administrator then determines if actions were properly
carried out.
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP)for Federal Low-Income
Housing Tax Credits
• Provides rental housing to low-income households – the “800 pound
gorilla” of affordable housing
• AFFH by providing additional Points to developers for providing
units, or “extra” units for persons with disabilities (more choice).
• Must hold them open for set period as well as providing
• AFFH by requiring developers to work with Department of
Disabilities to find tenants
• Provided more than 1,700 units (above federal minimums) since
QAP started providing points for this
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Qualified Allocation Plan for Federal Low-Income Housing
Tax Credits (continued)
• Additional Points to developers for participating in Section
811 Demonstration program. AFFH by providing units
primarily targeted to persons with mental illness and
reaching un(der) served areas.
• AFFH Training staff to work with clients – owners,
building managers, and tenants - based on our past
experience with State-funded Bridge Subsidy program
• AFFH as is Geographically targeted to counties where
many disabled live and counties did not participate in
other DHCD programs for disabled households.
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Homeownership for Individuals With Disabilities Program
• State funded program
• AFFH by providing a unique program that allows persons
with disabilities to access all aspects of housing – buying a
home.
• AFFH by using different underwriting requirements based
on different work histories and credit “gaps”.
• AFFH by working with the Maryland Department of
Disabilities to help bring persons with disabilities in to
participate in the program.
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Maryland Mortgage Program
• State Program through HFA to fund homes for First Time
Buyers
• Addressed AFFH by looking at areas that are geographically
underserved by our mortgage products and then working to
deliver our loan products to those areas
• AFFH Going out to banks and community lenders and educating
them about our products
• DHCD provides Omnibus men specifically to the lenders in
geographically underserved areas to answer questions, help solve
issues and problems with loans.
• Increased loans 16 percent in underserved areas within six
months of starting efforts in February of this year.
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Accessible Housing For Seniors Program
• State Funded
• Makes Handicapped and accessibility modifications specifically
for elderly to “age in place”, so serves both elderly
(nondiscrimination on age) and disabled (nondiscrimination
on handicap) populations.
• DHCD works in conjunction with Maryland Office on Aging
• Not just a program, DHCD AFFH by going out and marketing
the program to local Offices on Aging.
• Also AFFH by going out and marketing to lenders.
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Assisting Persons of Limited English Proficiency (LEP)
• The vast majority of persons of LEP in Maryland live in
entitlement communities (over 90 percent)
• In writing its guidance on LEP, HUD states that if an agency
receives HUD’s funds, then “Coverage extends to a recipient’s
entire program or activity, i.e., to all parts of a recipient’s
operations…For example, HUD provides assistance to a state
government’s Department of Community Development, which
provides funds to a local government to improve a particular
public facility. All of the operations of the entire Department
of Community Development – not just the particular
community and/or facility – are covered.”
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Assisting Persons of LEP (Continued)
• HUD Four Part Test (number, frequency, nature, costs)
• Maryland AFFH by Translating 100s of pages of its website into
Spanish, even though the vast majority can not typically
access DHCD programs AND didn’t meet the “four part test”
• AFFH Trying to get people who would not normally know
about or access programs.
• Also offer verbal translation services for other languages,
including Chinese, Korean, Russian, French, etc. even though
residents live in entitlement areas.
Affirmatively Furthering Fair
Housing Efforts in Maryland
Questions and Comments?
John M. Greiner
Housing Policy Officer
[email protected]
(410) 514-7191