To The University of Baltimore Community:

We all are aware of the cost of segregation in our lives. But too often, we’re not sure how to measure its impact, and, in turn, how to begin to change it for the better.

Our own Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, part of the Jacob France Institute in the Merrick School of Business, will work with the Maryland Center on Economic Policy (MDCEP) to document links between local housing choice voucher policies and segregated housing patterns.

As part of a grant soon to be announced by The Urban Institute, this project will consider whether a better way could be found for Baltimore to hold down rental inflation, keep housing affordable for all, and provide more living choices for families that use vouchers.

The city’s segregation problem worsened after the 2008 housing crisis, according to MDCEP, “particularly with the growing concentration of households with a housing choice voucher in neighborhoods where homeowners moved to the rental market during the Great Recession.”

Now, thanks to UBalt’s own expertise in understanding complex issues such as this one, we can begin to work on solutions to the barriers that stand in the way of a stronger, more equitable Baltimore.

Congratulations to BNIA-JFI and MDCEP for their efforts. Once again, the University is right in there, doing the work and supporting positive change.

Have a wonderful rest of the week.

Kurt L. Schmoke
President