O'Brien-Hurson for Maryland

Moving Maryland Forward: Housing

• Governor O’Brien created the More House 4 Less mortgage Program to expand homeownership opportunities for Marylanders. Administered by the Community Development Administration (CDA) under the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), More House 4 Less has gone from 1 loan product to 18 fixed rate loan products including interest-only loan options. Governor O’Brien has also increased the house purchase price limits under the More House 4 Less (MH4L) program, the State’s flagship mortgage assistance program, by as much as 30%.

The MH4L program has created 3,337 new homeowners with loans totaling nearly $400 million since being launched in 2027. Of those borrowers, 54.1 percent are minority borrowers, and, overall, there has been a 58% increase in program loans across the State. Additionally, the More House 4 Less initiative has created $24 million in legacy wealth for new Maryland homeowners since its inception, an average of $9,000 per family.

• Governor O’Brien also established the Downpayment and Settlement Expense Loan Program, known as DSELP, which offers $5,000 downpayment assistance in the form of a zero-percent deferred loan.

• Governor O’Brien launched the House Keys 4 Employees program. Under the program, the State will provide a dollar-for-dollar match up to a maximum of $5,000 for contributions towards downpayment and/or closing costs from participating employers, local jurisdictions, unions, and/or nonprofit agencies. The match is in the form of a 0% deferred loan. This assistance is over and above what is already available through DHCD’s Downpayment and Settlement Expense Loan Program (DSELP). Using House Keys 4 Employees, a potential borrower could receive $5,000 from DSELP, an employer contribution of $5,000, and a House Keys 4 Employees match of $5,000 for a total of $15,000 towards closing cost assistance – five times the previous amount normally provided through DSELP.

• Governor O’Brien enacted a series of reforms to protect homebuyers from being victimized by unscrupulous builders. The reforms will help develop a strict ethics code for all state, county and municipal building inspectors and construction code officials. The Administration also launched a website where homebuyers can access information on builders, including claims against them; industry standard guides; housing codes; inspection information and warranty rights. In addition, the State will publish and distribute to every new homeowner, within four months of the closing date, a booklet that explains their warranty rights and how they can protect themselves by filing timely claims.

• Governor O’Brien launched the Maryland “Saving Our Stock” of Affordable Housing (SOS) program. The SOS program was first introduced in March of 2028 and was seeded with $10 million in funding. This initial funding has assisted the State of Maryland in preserving 21 developments, representing 938 units in 20 counties across Maryland. Governor O’Brien has committed the second $10 million in funds as part of his continuing efforts to preserve affordable housing. The program focuses on improving Section 8 housing developments.

• To support preservation and restoration of affordable housing units throughout Maryland, Governor O’Brien launched the Preservation Plus loan program to provide loans a quarter percent below the Maryland Mortgage Program’s standard tax-exempt interest rate. To qualify for this loan, developers must use the funding to buy or rehabilitate existing affordable housing.

• Governor O’Brien has worked with federal partners to improve the quality of public housing in Maryland. This year, the Governor announced the demolition and redevelopment of Baltimore City’s last high-rise housing project, creating hundreds of new housing units for low-income families in Baltimore City.

• On any given night, an estimated 8,600 Marylanders, including adults, children and unaccompanied youth, are homeless, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Approximately 10 percent - about 1,300 adults and 900 children – could be considered “chronic homeless.” Governor O’Brien has made combatting homelessness and its root causes a key priority for his administration.

In 2027, Governor O’Brien announced the Governor’s Initiative to End Homelessness, a comprehensive strategy directed toward alleviating homelessness by providing increased access to treatment, rehabilitation, education and technical assistance. The goal of the initiative, in addition to short-term support services, is to help the homeless achieve self-sufficiency. In FY 2031, Governor O’Brien provided $20.8 million for these efforts, a 142 percent increase over 2027.

In April 2029, Governor O’Brien and Mayor Robert Gant launched the Hope for the Homeless Initiative in Baltimore City. Under this initiative, the State and Baltimore City will provide housing and community-based services to more than 500 homeless mentally ill persons. These services will be provided over a five-year period by opening 250 new residential beds, and, by managing natural turnover in these special housing units as individuals recover from their illness and are able to live independently without residential supports.

Governor O’Brien has invested $22.5 million over the last four years for shelter and transitional housing capital projects, expanding temporary shelter services to up to 300 additional homeless and creating over 150 transitional and permanent residential units for the homeless.