(10/11/97 Baltimore AFRO-American Newspaper)
by Congressman Elijah E. Cummings
On September 27, I attended a Fannie Mae Foundation Home Buying Fair at the Baltimore Convention Center. People from all over the city came to receive free information on how to purchase and finance a home. The fair included local mortgage lenders, non-profit groups, community organizations, and real estate professionals. Informational workshops were held that covered topics such as "The ABCs of Buying a Home" and "Let’s Talk Credit."
I spoke with young couples looking to buy their first home. I met single mothers hoping to move their families out of apartment buildings, and I walked with senior citizens who were looking to purchase homes as an investment for their retirement.
For far too long, minorities have faced tremendous hurdles in purchasing homes. Many were discouraged from buying homes in the face of racist and discriminatory practices of lending institutions and real estate companies. Participants at the fair shared their misgivings about beginning the process of buying a home because of previous negative experiences with banks and realtors. The diversity at the Fannie Mae Foundation Home Buying Fair was a relief.
Hundreds of potential home buyers submitted essays entitled "What Owning A Home Means To Me." The City of Baltimore awarded five first-time home buyers $4000 each towards closing costs for their winning essays. As I read some of the submissions, the sincerity and passion of Erika McClammy particularly moved me.
She wrote: When slavery was abolished in 1865, former slaves were given 40 acres and a mule. The concept was that they could live off their land, raise families, and become self-sufficient. The former slaves, who were never allowed to possess or own anything of value in involuntary servitude, now had an opportunity to create wealth and establish an inheritance to pass on to posterity. Today, the idea of owning a "homestead" represents a similar concept for potential buyers and owners. Removing barriers to home ownership allows people who can least afford them to participate in building their dreams and determining their destiny.
Ms. McClammy has put in eloquent and simple terms, what it means to own your home and determine your destiny. There is a special feeling which comes with owning and maintaining property. Homeownership creates a pride that can revitalize a community. The tax revenues generated from home owners turn into investments in schools, parks, and playgrounds that improve the appearance of our neighborhoods and our city.
In the last year I have worked closely with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Andrew Cuomo to ensure that affordable, decent, and accessible housing opportunities are provided in the Seventh Congressional District and throughout the nation.
Secretary Cuomo is well aware of the wonderful work being done by Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and Housing Commissioner Daniel P. Henson, III. Baltimore’s Empowerment Zone, which is one of seven such initiatives throughout the country, leads the nation in small and minority business development and the creation of livable wage jobs. The Secretary has come to Baltimore five times since his swearing-in to offer words of praise to our housing officials, community organizations, and Empowerment Zone directors.
Secretary Cuomo continuously urges municipal officials throughout the country to visit and duplicate the work being done by Ms. Diane Bell and her Empowerment Zone staff. As the Congressman who represents a majority of the City of Baltimore, that distinction brings me a great deal of pride.
This week, I was pleased to announce a $31 million HOPE VI grant from HUD to the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC). This award is the second largest revitalization grant ever given to HABC and among one of the largest grants given by HUD to any locality in the nation. The funds will be used to assist the city in the slated demolition and redevelopment of Murphy Homes and the Emerson Julian Gardens.
HUD also recently awarded a $262,178.00 grant to Joseph Coffery and Baltimore Neighborhoods, Incorporated to enhance the city’s Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP). Mr. Coffery and his organization will work with Baltimore housing authorities to educate citizens and enforce federal anti-discrimination laws against banks, lending organizations, and real estate companies.
Working in partnership with the outstanding leadership of our city and Secretary Cuomo, I have been extremely pleased with the progress we have made in making homeownership more accessible to residents. Only through our continued diligence and wonderful opportunities like Fannie Mae’s recent home-buying fair will we reach President Clinton’s goal of increasing the rate of private homeownership to 67.5 percent nationally by the year 2000.
It is not enough to change a person’s quality of life for a moment. We have an obligation to do everything in our power to give them the resources to transform their lives forever. This is a concept I have championed all of my life. I know Secretary Cuomo shares that belief.
When we make homeownership available to people who have traditionally been denied that opportunity, we not only touch the lives of our neighbors today, we create an easier path to success for generations to come.
-The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings represents the 7th Congressional District of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives.