Maryland is facing a housing crisis. And it isn’t just hurting some of us, it’s hurting all of us. Maryland is currently ranked the seventh most expensive state to live in — driven largely by sky-high housing costs. Nine in 10 Marylanders say that housing affordability presents a real obstacle, and a third of Marylanders aged 18 to 34 are thinking about leaving the state due to a lack of affordable, accessible housing.
This crisis isn’t just affecting individual lives and livelihoods; it also diminishes our economic strength. The comptroller’s State of the Economy report found that Maryland’s economy grew at a rate of just 1.6% compared to 13.9% nationally, driven in part by the “availability of affordable housing for lower- and middle-income households.”
Marylanders are calling on us to act, to provide a stable housing market and more affordable options for all. Doing nothing is simply not an option. According to a new poll commissioned by Greater Greater Washington, 72% of Maryland voters think that state government should do more to improve access to rental and homeownership opportunities. We have an obligation to heed their calls and tackle this issue head-on.
Our administration has assembled the most comprehensive housing package that any Maryland administration has introduced in years. And our plan addresses the housing crisis at its source: the withering supply. Since the 2008 Great Recession, our state has not built new homes at an adequate pace to keep up with demand. The result is a staggering housing shortage of approximately 96,000 housing units — and counting. Our agenda helps us narrow this gap.
Our three bills — the Housing Expansion and Affordability Act of 2024, the Renters Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024, and the Housing and Community Development Financing Act of 2024 — are the result of months of collaboration and conversation between the state and local governments. Taken together, our bills will spur new housing construction, cut burdensome red tape, enhance long-term financial investment in low-income areas, centralize resources for Maryland renters, and get our economy moving again.
Our legislation already has the support of elected officials and village leaders across the political spectrum and at all levels of society. We’re proud of the fact that the Maryland Municipal League and the Maryland Association of Counties — two major organizations representing municipal and county leaders — support our agenda.
Marylanders are excited about this legislation because they know who it’s going to benefit. It’s going to benefit the teacher in Wheaton who can’t buy a home in the same neighborhood where they grew up. It’s going to benefit the police officer in Glen Burnie with three kids who doesn’t know how she’ll make the family budget work this month. It’s going to benefit the senior in Largo who can’t afford to move —or even downsize.
If we want to make this Maryland’s decade, housing must come first. Our agenda marks a critical step forward in our work to remedy the state’s housing crisis and take the strain off Maryland families. So to the people who said we need to make Maryland more affordable and focus on housing affordability: We hear you, we’re moving and we are going to get this legislation passed.
Wes Moore (governor.maryland.gov/contact-the-governor) is governor of Maryland. Jake Day (jake.day@maryland.gov) is secretary of Housing and Community Development.
