Housing Justice

Removing barriers to quality, stable housing that people can afford

Where we live impacts our quality of life and how healthy we are – and we all want to live in vibrant neighborhoods full of opportunity. But for many Howard County residents, our community is becoming an increasingly unaffordable place to live – and our housing system is a major reason why.

Rent and home prices are too high; many apartments are aging and in poor condition; our zoning laws are outdated; and we are not building enough places to live that people of all incomes can actually afford. These challenges fall hardest on residents of color, who continue to face barriers rooted in historical and current unjust practices.

While the affordability crisis is affecting everyone, Black and Brown residents are twice as likely to be renters compared to White residents, and therefore much more likely to be cost burdened and have to make difficult decisions about whether to pay rent, buy groceries or afford healthcare in an already strained economy. Additionally, home buyers of color are more likely to experience challenges in the appraisal process and mortgage loan application process.

We’ve made some progress, but we can do more. In the pursuit of housing justice, we are working with partners to:

Build more quality, stable places to rent or buy that people can afford.
Undo longstanding laws and policies that perpetuate unfairness.
Fight for policy change that strengthens renter protections, builds more housing and provides pathways to homeownership.

Together, we can make sure all people in Howard County can prosper.

Co-Creating Solutions and Taking Action Together

We’re supporting a growing movement of residents, advocates and nonprofit organizations working together to drive policy change and promote housing justice in Howard County:

Our Service Provider Workgroup Grantees (2025) – Bridges to Housing Stability, Building Families for Children, Columbia Housing Center, Community Action Council of Howard County, Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, Luminus Network, MakingChange, Maryland Inclusive Housing – identified strategies to reduce housing insecurity, explored ways to better connect services and developed policy ideas to support systems change. Check out their report here.
Our Organizing & Advocacy Grantees (2025-2026) – Bridges to Housing Stability, CASA, Community Development Network of Maryland, Economic Action Maryland, People Acting Together in Howard (PATH) – are co-creating policy and programmatic solutions focused on housing justice, such as expanding renter protections, sustaining homeownership and designing housing insecurity prevention strategies.

Act Now

Join us! Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest on housing justice in Howard County.
Share your story! If you want to share your story about housing justice or affordability, we’d love to hear from you. Contact Kerry Darragh.
Get involved! If you’re interested in getting involved with policy and advocacy around housing, contact Kristina Gray-Akpa or Glenn Schneider.
For all other inquiries, please use this form.