15 April Celebrating Fair Housing Month by Jacky Mueck Consumers, Events 0 0 Comment 92 By Gregory Hare The Assistant Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. mmp.maryland.gov, singlefamilyhousing.dhcd@maryland.gov, 1-800-756-0119 April marks the 56th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act, the landmark civil rights law signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on April 11, 1968, that made discrimination in housing transactions unlawful. This legislation prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, and familial status. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development believes that shelter must be treated as a human right. We must create pathways for residents to build stability through homeownership. So let the State of Maryland help you create more homeowners through the Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP). MMP has been the state’s flagship homeownership program for over 40 years and for the past four years, has achieved about $1 billion annually in home loan reservations. On average, the MMP program provides mortgages to 4,000 to 5,000 Marylanders and their families each year. The biggest barriers to entry for potential homebuyers include insufficient funds for downpayment and closing costs, student debt, and high interest rates. MMP has specially designed products which assist in each of these categories. We always encourage other local municipalities to reach out to our business economic development team to generate cutting edge new partnerships that promote homeownership in their area. AM24, Fair Housing Share Comments are closed.