Stay Updated
Join our mailing list to stay informed on how we're creating pathways to opportunity.
On March 10, Marcia Fudge was confirmed and sworn in as the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Adria Crutchfield, executive director of the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership, issued the following statement regarding her confirmation and swearing in:
“BRHP congratulates Secretary Fudge on her new position and looks forward to working with the Secretary to make fair and equitable housing a priority again. We have full confidence in her leadership, experience, and commitment to civil rights to tackle the housing challenges ahead and she has our support here in the Baltimore region to ensure more people have safe, quality, and stable housing.
As a HUD-funded housing mobility program, we’ve seen first-hand the social, educational, and economic benefits of rental assistance and housing mobility counseling for over 5,000 families in our region. Over the past year, Housing Choice Voucher programs like ours have been critical to keeping people safely housed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, there are thousands more in our communities who face housing instability and are eligible for rental assistance but remain on waitlists. Secretary Fudge’s dedication to carrying out President Biden’s commitment to expand rental assistance and the HCV program will ensure we are a country that makes housing a right for all and not just a privilege for some. BRHP has demonstrated the efficacy of counseling supports such as housing search assistance, landlord-tenant mediation, and connecting families with resources. Those critical services should be included with any expansion of rental assistance and we look forward to working with the Secretary’s team to facilitate this work.
As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and housing crisis, solutions rooted in dismantling structural inequalities must be at the forefront of HUD’s work. Communities of color and urban communities across the country have long-endured unjust housing practices, neglect, and disinvestment that have barred them from realizing their American dream. We look forward to a new day at HUD under Secretary Fudge’s leadership that will put the country on a path to a better, brighter future.”
###