Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership (BRHP) offers GAIN to selected families in our Housing Mobility program as a means to help voucher holders attain financial goals. GAIN, short for “Growing Assets And Income”, is a Family Self-Sufficiency program, to help BRHP families increase their income and savings while in our program. Participants work with a financial coach to establish and achieve their financial goals, receiving monetary incentives when they achieve milestones in education, career, financial health, and homeownership. Payments are deposited in an interest-bearing escrow account to grow their savings.
I can only say wonderful things about this program.
Breon H, GAIN program graduate
Programs like GAIN are meant to reduce dependency on assisted housing by rewarding goal achievement, and GAIN can help participants receive incentives of up to $8,000 as they work towards their goals. The program is limited to 250 households who have applied and been selected to participate. We’re excited to celebrate our first GAIN program graduate, Ms. Breon H, for her achievements in meeting her financial goals and not only graduating the GAIN program after 8 months working on her goals, but exiting the Housing Mobility program with the purchase of her new home in Annapolis, MD. Our Special Projects Coordinator recently interviewed Breon about her accomplishments.
BRHP: How has our program benefited you and/or your family?
BH: I think the program mainly benefited me, just helping me save money. I actually graduated the program by being able to purchase a home, so it helped me a lot with saving money with my new home.
BRHP: Share with us some of the things you were able to accomplish personally and professionally while in our program.
BH: It helped me with a more stable career because I had a more stable home and a more stable family life for me and my daughter. And now I have two more children, so for me and my children, it definitely created a stable household. Financially, it helped me build my credit, everything, it just benefited me in every way possible.
BRHP: What do you think are some long-term impacts being a part of our program will have on your family?
BH: Benefits are long-term stability; my credit score is through the roof, but it’s always been like that because I’ve been a part of this program; it helped me save my money.
BRHP: Would you recommend our program to others?
BH: Yes, I would definitely recommend it. It gives you a boost on life. I started when I was 21. I was able to get my first unit with BRHP, and it’s only been up since then.
BRHP: Is there anything else you would like us to know about your experience?
BH: I can only say wonderful things about this program. It has only helped my life and my daughter’s life, it’s lovely. We were in an area I wanted to live in close to my grandmother because she was my support system. The school that my daughter was in was wonderful, and I just loved everything about it. I was so sad to go, but I had to graduate at some point, and I’m happy GAIN put me in a position to graduate from not only the [Housing Choice Voucher] program but the GAIN program as well.
BRHP is proud to have played a role in helping Breon and more like them reach their goals and thrive.
Follow us on social media as we cover more program participant experiences and successes with BRHP on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter)!
Written by — Phillip Clark, Communications Associate
May is mental health awareness month, and this piece explores the importance of color and exposure to nature in your day-to-day life and your overall mental health. The Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia’s research on the effects of color and nature on mental health, illustrates how important it is for our communities to have access to natural elements and various colors daily. Mental Health America’s research on the psychology of color also demonstrates how colors in the built environment, such as your home, impact your mood.
In Noticing Nature: Individual and social benefits of a two-week intervention, University of British Columbia researchers Holli-Anne Passmore and Mark D. Holder observed how nature made their study participants feel during their daily routine. Passmore and Holder concluded that there is a difference in the participants’ response to man-made objects and naturally occurring objects in their regular surroundings. For example, a participant prompted to interact with nature shared, “I was already aware that being in nature made me feel more at ease and happy, so this study just helped reinforce how being in a natural setting can change my day.” Compared to participants prompted to interact with man-made objects, one of whom reported “Focusing on human-built objects did not have much of an effect on me. I think if I had to focus on nature there would be a positive shift in attitude, happiness, etc.”
![](https://brhp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_1493101382-edited-1-scaled.jpg)
Passmore said during an interview with the University of British Columbia, “This wasn’t about spending hours outdoors or going for long walks in the wilderness”, and further explained, “This is about the tree at the bus stop in the middle of a city and the positive effect that one tree can have on people.” Passmore asserts that even “a dandelion growing in a crack in the sidewalk” can have the slightest of impact on mood.
Passmore was “overwhelmed” by the response of her study participants and mentions that “The difference in participants’ well-being-their happiness, and their level of connectedness to other people, not just to nature was significantly higher than participants in the group noticing how human-build objects made them feel and the control group.” This is an example of how the benefits of living in opportunity areas extend beyond access to quality schools and employment opportunities and include access to quality parks and outdoor recreation. Our housing mobility programs expand housing choices for families with low incomes who have historically been excluded from housing in well-resourced neighborhoods by helping them to access and transition successfully to these safe, healthy, and economically vibrant communities that often include quality outdoor access.
Brightening up Your Day:
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”
– Albert Einstein
Based on her research, Passmore suggests to, “Stop and smell the roses,” meaning slow down and appreciate the nature and colors that are around you. This could include taking a moment to observe the pink budding spring trees, the red and blue birds around, or even noticing how the sun’s seemingly yellow rays bounce off an object or nature. Sometimes improving mental health is as simple as a breath of fresh air, or just getting outside. The Baltimore region has some wonderful outdoor opportunities, including Sherwood Gardens in Baltimore City, Loch Raven Reservoir in Baltimore County, and the Annapolis waterfront and waterways.
![](https://brhp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/shutterstock_2360547709-edited.jpg)
Use colors to improve your mood:
When thinking about adding color into your day, Mental Health America suggests that bright, warm colors such as reds, oranges and yellows simulate energy and happiness – cool and subdued colors are calming. The brighter colors are best for dining and living rooms or kitchens, where we frequently entertain guests, and cooler colors are best for bedrooms and bathrooms.
![](https://brhp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Color-Theory-Animated-GIF.gif)
Integrating nature into your home:
Indoor nature integration for stress recovery and healthy eating: A picture experiment with plants versus green color (2022), by Nathalie Michels, Gillian Debra, Louise Mattheeuws and Alexander Hooyberg, explores how integrating nature in the interior could be beneficial.
Michels and her team across various universities and institutions in Belgium tested 92 participants in four groups. They presented pictures that contained “either green plants, green objects, greyscale plants or greyscale objects.” The green plant pictures were reported by participants as the most “mentally restorative” and presented a great impact on the ability to recover after experiencing stress. The participants exposed to greenery also had a higher preference for vegetables than unhealthy snacks.
We can conclude that indoor green plants are associated with higher mental restoration and healthier food selections. If you’re looking for small ways you can integrate these findings into your life, taking a moment to notice even the slightest hint of nature, placing a plant or even a picture of a plant in the home can have a positive impact on your mental health and help improve your overall wellbeing.
Click here to learn more about BRHP and its programs.
Phillip Clark is a communications associate at the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership