DHCD Divisions and Offices
Office of the Secretary
The Office of the Secretary provides leadership, policy direction, and resources
to ensure the Department accomplishes its mission and goals. It supervises and coordinates
the Department’s activities, approves all revenue bonds issued by the Community
Development Administration for housing and local infrastructure projects, and provides
support services to the Department, including legislative affairs, communications
and marketing, research, legal services, fair practices, personnel management and
performance management.
Community Development Administration
The Department of Housing and Community Development’s Division of Development Finance,
also known as the Community Development Administration (CDA), is the housing finance
agency for the State of Maryland. CDA comprises three branches: Multifamily Housing,
Single Family Housing and CDA Finance.
CDA Multifamily Housing expands quality, affordable rental and transitional housing
opportunities for Marylanders by financing the development, rehabilitation, and
preservation of rental communities and transitional housing, and by administering
rental assistance programs and the
Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.
CDA Single Family Housing provides homebuyer assistance programs by offering mortgage
loans and down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible homebuyers with low-to
moderate-income, programs to rehabilitate single family rental housing to improve
basic livability, and programs to meet unique housing needs, including lead paint
reduction, weatherization assistance and financing for persons with special needs.
CDA Finance raises capital in the national municipal bond markets to provide financing
at below-market interest rates for individuals to purchase single family homes,
for nonprofit and for-profit entities to construct and rehabilitate multifamily
properties, and for local governments to improve and construct public infrastructure.
CDA’s primary financing sources are municipal bonds and State-appropriated funds.
Neighborhood Revitalization
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Division of Neighborhood
Revitalization (NR) is dedicated to working with local partners to bring new investment
and vitality to Maryland’s core communities. NR’s broad range of loan, grant and
technical assistance programs help local governments, nonprofit organizations and
small businesses reinvest in their communities and make great places for Marylanders
to live, work and prosper.
Division of Credit Assurance / Maryland Housing Fund
The Maryland Housing Fund (MHF)
was created in 1971 as a unique mortgage insurance program. MHF maintains existing
primary and pool insurance for residential mortgages financed with revenue bond
proceeds issued by the Community Development Administration, as well as primary
insurance for certain permanent loans by public and private lenders. In 2002, the
Department reopened a limited multi-family program of MHF, insuring mortgage loans
known as “SHOP” (Special Housing Opportunity Program). The SHOP loans finance or
refinance the acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of shared living and
related facilities for the special needs population, which are owned and sponsored
by nonprofit organizations. In 2004 the Department expanded its MHF insurance program
to authorize insurance on a case by case basis, financed by bonds, including loans
with Credit Enhancement under the HUD Risk Sharing Program. During the summer of
2005 the Department opened an MHF program to insure 40 year single family mortgage
loans being purchased by the Community Development Administration. In addition,
the Department authorized the expenditure of up to $1 million of the Revitalization
Revenues to provide credit enhancement to a loan program, which is intended to stabilize
and strengthen property values in targeted areas of Baltimore City.
Maryland Affordable Housing Trust
The Maryland Affordable Housing Trust
is a charitable public corporation that was created by the Maryland General Assembly
in 1992 to promote affordable housing throughout the State of Maryland. The Trust
is directed by a Board of Trustees and is supported administratively by the Department
of Housing and Community Development. The Trust is funded in part by a portion of
the interest generated by title company escrow accounts.
The Trust promotes affordable housing for households earning less than 50 percent
of area or statewide median income by:
- Funding capital costs of rental and ownership housing;
- Providing financial assistance for nonprofit-developer capacity building;
- Funding supportive services for occupants of affordable housing; and
- Funding operating expenses of housing developments.
Division of Finance
The Division of Finance provides critical departmental support through the Office
of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the Division of Finance and Administration
(DFA). The CFO is responsible for all financial activities of the Department. This
includes functional oversight over DFA and the financial activities of the Community
Development Administration and the Maryland Housing Fund. DFA provides advice and
technical support in fiscal matters to the Department’s Executive Staff, senior
program directors and managers of the various program and support units. DFA oversees
the financial management and central support services in the Department, providing
financial, analytical, internal review and reporting; preparing and managing operating
and capital budgets; accounting for the Department’s expenditures and revenues for
budgetary and grant accounting; as well as preparing audited financial statements
for the Maryland Housing Fund and the State-funded loan and grant programs; coordinating
and providing procurement and purchasing services; and providing other support services
to the Department, including facilities and fleet management, emergency preparedness,
records retention, and telecommunications.