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DHCD reports progress on HUD Voluntary Compliance Agreement and outlines fair-housing outreach
Summary
Baltimore County Department of Housing and Community Development told the Human Relations Commission the county has more approved hard units than the 2024 interim VCA goal and described testing, outreach, and data-tracking partnerships with Economic Action Maryland and the Equal Rights Center.
Sylvia Bolivar, deputy director of Baltimore County's Department of Housing and Community Development, and colleagues Milana Beyer and Megan Arellano presented the county's fair-housing work and Voluntary Compliance Agreement (VCA) progress.
Milana Beyer explained that the VCA, an agreement between Baltimore County, HUD and named complainants focused on housing access, runs through March 2028 and sets interim and final targets for "hard units" (units approved for financing). She reported that the 2024 interim approved-unit goal was 970 and that the county has 1,102 units approved, while cautioning that approval is an early stage in the development pipeline: "Approved just means they have been approved for financing for funding," she said; construction and lease-up remain to be completed.
DHCD staff described federal-level changes that have narrowed some HUD enforcement guidance, citing rescinded guidance affecting protections and testing (including references to Order 13988 and guidance on criminal background checks and source-of-income testing). Staff noted those federal changes can limit how FHAPs (Fair Housing Assistance Programs) use federal funds for work such as source-of-income discrimination testing.
Locally, DHCD said it contracts with Economic Action Maryland to provide tenant outreach and complaint assistance (180 tenant households served, equating to 431 residents in the reported period) and with the Equal Rights Center for rental, sales and lending testing (46 tests reported). DHCD said it plans quarterly coordination with those contractors, aggregated data sharing across jurisdictions, and education and outreach efforts as part of a data-driven approach to enforcement.
DHCD also summarized four barriers identified in the regional five-year fair-housing assessment: limited fair-housing knowledge, insufficient affordability and safe housing options, lack of accessible housing for people with disabilities, and a need for financial education. The department said it will share the regional plan and five-year local action goals with the commission and explore partnerships with the newly established state Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs.
Commissioners asked technical questions about testing and federal funding constraints; DHCD staff said they will share language and data and bring the Equal Rights Center to a regional workgroup meeting to present aggregate testing data.
DHCD offered to share the five-year plan link with the commission and work with commission staff on intake data collection and at least one collaborative initiative in the coming year.
