The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development recently announced its UPLIFT program, which is designed to help close the appraisal gap that now blocks essential investments in the state’s historically redlined communities, was recently recognized by the National Council of State Housing Agencies at its 2024 annual conference.
Established in 1984, NCSHA’s Annual Awards for Program Excellence identify and elevate industry best practices and encourage continued Housing Finance Agency innovation. Member HFAs are eligible to submit initiatives for consideration in seven categories: Communications, Homeownership, Legislative Advocacy, Management Innovation, Rental Housing, Special Achievement, and Special Needs Housing.
Maryland’s DHCD program, Utilizing Progressive Lending Investments to Finance Transformation (UPLIFT) took top honors in NCSHA’s Homeownership: Encouraging New Construction category. NCSHA noted contest jurors recognized Maryland DHCD’s UPLIFT program for its “holistic and innovative” approach: utilizing progressive lending investments to increase property values and provide wealth-building homeownership opportunities for targeted households by accelerating the pace of development, construction, and sale of quality affordable housing in low-income census tracts and in designated communities. The program addresses issues including energy, critical repairs, and vacant properties to help close the appraisal gap that occurs in historically redlined areas.
“UPLIFT is an important tool in our efforts to revitalize Maryland’s disinvested communities,” said Secretary Jake Day. “We’re honored that the program, and the help it provides to the people in our state, was recognized by the National Council of State Housing Agencies.”
UPLIFT was announced by Governor Wes Moore in 2023 and built on the department’s pilot Homeownership Works (HOW) program, which focused on two Maryland communities - Johnston Square in Baltimore and the Pine Street area in Cambridge.
The program focuses on two urgent Maryland priorities: Closing the gap in household wealth across racial categories and flowing capital into historically disinvested, redlined neighborhoods. UPLIFT does both by financing the construction of affordable single family, for-sale construction in clustered areas to elevate property values and thereby boost household wealth among homeowners in less well-off communities.
Lauren Bunting is a Broker with Keller Williams Realty of Delmarva in Ocean City, Maryland.
