Volume 4 | August 14, 2020

Baltimore Regional Housing PartnershipQuarterly Newsletter

"Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessarytrouble." - John Lewis

A message from the executive directorWe're broadening our reach

At BRHP, it's important for us to be involved in thecommunity and lend our voice to conversations onjustice and equity, especially during these times ofradical shifts at all levels.

Over the past three months, we've done just that. Fromsharing our best practices with researchers to sharingthe importance and impact of the Housing ChoiceVoucher program, we are broadening our reach tosupport funding, legislation, research, and grassrootsefforts happening around us that will benefit thecollective community. In this newsletter, you'll seeexamples of this.

Along these lines, I have taken on a new leadership opportunity to serve the region. I wasrecently appointed to the board of directors of the Maryland Association of Housingand Redevelopment Agencies (MAHRA) and look forward to supporting thepreservation of sustainable and inclusive communities throughout Maryland. In thisnewsletter, you'll also see opportunities for leadership with the work we're doing. I hopeyou will consider partnering with us.

Adria Crutchfield

Sharing our insights

Poverty & Race ResearchAction Council's June 2020Recruiting Opportunity

Urban Institute's BoostingUpward Mobility Report

Landlords Report

BRHP offered insights on landlordrecruitment in the Poverty andRace Research Action Council's(PRRAC) "RecruitingOpportunity Landlords: Lessonsfrom Landlords" report. The goalof the report is to describe landlords’challenges with housing voucherprograms as well as their enthusiasmto participate in such programs.

BRHP is featured as a case study ofsuccessful intervention for upwardmobility in the Urban Institute's"Boosting Upward Mobility"report. The report examines sixinterventions that have been shownthrough rigorous evaluation to boosteconomic and social mobility with theBaltimore Housing Mobility Programbeing one of them. The evidencebased data in the report can help localdecision-makers and communitiesprioritize efforts to boost upwardmobility. The study's goal is tounderstand how BRHP's programand other programs like ours haveincreased economic and socialmobility for families.

ICYMI

BRHP on Elevate MarylandPodcast!

On July 22, Candace Dodson-Reed andTom Coale of Elevate MarylandPodcast interviewed BRHP ExecutiveDirector Adria Crutchfield for Episode 116.In this episode, Adria discusses many of theobstacles to obtaining such housing and themeans by which the BHRP providessubsidies to live in such areas. Check it outand follow this podcast for other greatinterviews.

Recruiting Partners: AVirtual Orientation for

Building Knowledge AboutHomebuying: Our First

Property Owners

On July 30, we hosted our first virtualProperty Partner Orientation. Itwas a resounding success with over 70participants overall. We were joinedby a guest presenter from theBaltimore City Office of Equityand Civil Rights to shareinformation on anti-discriminationlaws. The participants learned how tolease successfully with theBaltimore Housing MobilityProgram, the benefits of theprogram, and how to pass a homeinspection. If you would likeinformation on how to become aproperty partner, please contactBernard Jones, LandlordRelationship Specialist, atbjones@brhp.org.

Join Our Team: We'reHiring!

BRHP is seeking leaders who want tobe part of taking our program and ourimpact to the next level. We're hiringfor a Counseling Supervisor,Rental Assistance Supervisor ,Housing Counselor, and RealEstate and ProcurementManager. Join the partnership as weexpand opportunities for familiesthrough housing choice. Could you orsomeone you know be a goodcandidate for these positions? Learnmore and applyhere: http://brhp.org/about/careers

Homebuyer Workshop

In July, we partnered with standoutBRHP Property Partner CR ofMaryland to host an informationalwebinar on homebuying with aselection of our families. We lookforward to offering more educationalwebinars like this in the future for amore holistic approach to economicresiliency and well-being and we'relooking to partner with more localgroups.

Does your company or organizationhave a service that could enrich thelives of BRHP families? Would you bewilling to volunteer your time? Let usknow at outreach@brhp.org.

Have You Seen Our NewWebsite, Yet?

While the address remains the same,the new site is far easier for users tonavigate. Check it out atwww.brhp.org.

Up next

BRHP to participate in Baltimore Fair Housing Film Festival onAug. 27

We are pleased to announce our participationin The Baltimore City Office of Equity and CivilRights' Fair Housing Film Fest. During thefestival, you'll be able to watch films, join paneldiscussions, and see original performances allbased on the idea of fair housing. BRHPExecutive Director Adria Crutchfield willmoderate the discussion panel titled"Highlight the Fight: How artists, communitymembers, and activists came together to bringattention to housing discrimination" onAugust 27 at 8:00 pm . Learn more aboutthe festival and sign up to participate (it'sfree!): Fair Housing Film Festival

Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Mobility Demonstration

The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV)Mobility Demonstration was authorizedand funded through the 2019 and 2020Appropriations Acts. A total of $50 millionis available to public housing agencies thatparticipate in the demonstration: up to $10million is for new vouchers for familieswith children and the remainder isavailable for mobility-related services, suchas rental housing counseling, securitydeposit assistance, and landlord outreach.The 2019 Appropriations Act also makesavailable $3 million for a research evaluation.

BRHP is pleased to see the release of HUD’s competitive funding notice, which providesan exciting opportunity for collaboration among our region’s public housing agencies toseek much needed funding for rental housing counseling services to empower hundreds ofmore families with children to expand their housing choices and access areas that are safe,healthy and economically vibrant.

Read more about the funding opportunity.

Two ways to shop with a purpose to supportour mission

#1: Support Our 2020 Back to School Supply Drive

We are supporting our students as they prepare to start the school year remotely withschool supplies and other educational materials. To donate items directly to BRHPstudents, please use our Amazon Wish List (link below) . Each donation will shipdirectly to our office for distribution to our students throughout the school year. If youwould like to receive a donation receipt, please list your name and address in the gift noteupon purchasing your supply. When purchasing, be sure to select the shipping address tothe Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership.

BRHP Back to School Supply Drive 2020

While many many local schools are starting the school year virtually, our students could benefitfrom supplemental educational materials to enhance their remote learning experience. Thesesupplies will be distributed to BRHP families.

Read morewww.amazon.com

#2: Are you shopping on Amazon? ShopAmazonSmile.

Every time you purchase an AmazonSmile eligible item, the AmazonSmile Foundationwill donate 0.5% of your purchase price to BRHP. Eligible products are marked“Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Sign into your Amazon

account and click on our unique Amazon Smile link below or go to Smile.Amazon.comand select Baltimore Regional Housing Partner Inc as your charitable organizationfor receiving donations.

AmazonSmile: You shop. Amazon gives.

Shop at smile.amazon.com and we'll donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to your favorite charitableorganization-no fees, no extra cost. Thousands of charities created AmazonSmile Charity Lists ofitems they need right now. Simply browse, order, and ...

Read moresmile.amazon.com

Helpful hints

Prepare NOW for Election Day

Election Day is November 3. Don't waitto register. Early voting will be availablefrom October 22 to October 29 . Readmore guidance on registering to vote andother election information onthe Maryland State Board ofElections website here.

Interested in early voting? Read this.

Do you need an absentee ballot or want tovote by mail? You must apply! Read this.

Has your address recently changed? Readthis.

Do you know where your local pollingstation is? Read this.

Have You Completed YourCensus? Make Sure YourHousehold is Counted BeforeSept. 30 Deadline!

The census is quick and easy. It onlytakes about 10 minutes to complete . It'salso safe, secure, and confidential .Your information and privacy areprotected.

Why is the 2020 Census important?

Your response helps to direct billions ofdollars in federal funds to localcommunities for schools, roads, and otherpublic services. Results from the 2020Census will be used to determine thenumber of seats each state has inCongress and your politicalrepresentation at all levels ofgovernment. According to self-responserates across the country, Maryland iscurrently tied at number 10 with 67.6percent. Take the census here before

the new September 30 deadline.

About the Baltimore Regional HousingPartnership

Donate

The Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership(BRHP) helps families with low incomes, who havehistorically been excluded from housing in neighborhoodsof their choice, access and transition successfully to safe,healthy, and economically vibrant communities. Sincebecoming the formal administrator of the BaltimoreHousing Mobility Program, which couples Housing ChoiceVoucher administration with counseling supports, BRHPhas helped over 5,000 families with young children improve their quality of life as theysearch for new homes.