9. HOUSING AFFORDABILITY AND COMMUNITY STABILITY
CORE PROMISE: Housing must be affordable, and families should be able to stay rooted in the communities they built.
Across Maryland’s Fifth District, housing costs are rising faster than wages — and working families are paying the price.
In Prince George’s and Charles Counties, families face some of the highest property taxes in the district, along with rising housing costs, increasing rents, and unpredictable assessments that make it harder to plan or stay put.
In Charles, Calvert, and St. Mary’s Counties, the problem looks different but leads to the same outcome. People are working — often full time — but wages in service, trades, agriculture, seafood, and other essential industries are not keeping pace with the cost of housing.
As new development focuses on higher-end homes and rentals, lifelong residents are being priced out of the communities they helped build.
This is not about people failing to work hard. It’s about an economy where pay hasn’t kept up with the cost of living.
Meanwhile:
Affordable housing production lags far behind actual demand, especially for working families and middle-income earners
Too much new construction targets higher-income buyers while middle-income housing is neglected
Zoning barriers and bureaucratic delays slow down sensible, community-appropriate housing development
Predatory landlords, corporate investors, and rent-gouging practices drive up costs without improving quality
Counties struggle because commercial tax bases are too small, shifting the burden onto homeowners and renters
Federal housing grants and support programs are underused or delayed due to unnecessary complexity
Maryland’s Fifth District deserves communities where people who work here can afford to live here — where teachers, healthcare workers, service workers, tradespeople, farmers, and watermen are not pushed out because wages and housing policy are out of sync.
Housing affordability isn’t just about building more units. It’s about aligning wages, local jobs, and housing costs so working people can stay, grow, and build a future in their own communities.
HOW I’LL WORK TO FIX IT:
Increase housing supply faster by cutting red tape tied to federal funding, setting enforceable targets for affordable and middle-income housing, and incentivizing builds that working families can actually afford
Protect homeowners from being taxed out of homes they have already paid for by supporting income-based, state level and federal tax credits that help stabilize housing cost for working and fixed-income households
Expand federal housing grants and builder incentives that are directly tied to affordability outcomes — not just total units built
Protect renters through stronger enforcement against illegal practices, excessive rent hikes, and predatory behavior that drives up costs without improving housing quality
Help first-time homebuyers with targeted down-payment assistance and stronger fair-lending enforcement so access to homeownership isn’t limited to those with generational wealth
Stop hedge funds and large investors from swallowing single-family neighborhoods by pushing federal rules and tax policies that discourage bulk speculative purchases and protect community stability
Convert underused public properties into housing where it makes sense and has community support, prioritizing affordability and local needs
Provide federal grants for adaptive reuse so vacant or underused buildings can be turned into housing instead of sitting empty
Strengthen public housing oversight and modernization funding so existing housing is safe, well-maintained, and energy efficient — not neglected or allowed to deteriorate
MD-05 FOCUS POINT:
I will advocate to lower housing cost and stabilize assessments, while pursuing federal investment that grows the local commercial tax base — so counties aren’t forced to reply so heavily on homeowners and renters to fund essential services
JOIN THE FIGHT.
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