The Orchard Ridge community in Baltimore City is about to be uplifted in a very real way.
Gov. Wes Moore announced on Friday that Orchard Ridge is Maryland’s first UPLIFT community, and as such, will get help with development, construction, and sale of quality affordable housing.
UPLIFT stands for Utilizing Progressive Lending Investments to Finance Transformation, and is a program designed to help increase property values and homeownership in disinvested neighborhoods. The program will connect the neighborhood with development teams that will accelerate the pace of progress, as well.
“One of the major contributors to the racial wealth gap is inequitable appraisal values in communities that have been affected by redlining,” Moore said. “That’s why, in this Season of Action, we are taking concrete steps to boost property values and build pathways to greater wealth creation for homeowners. UPLIFT will help us take real estate that isn’t currently in use and transform it into vibrant places to live, grow, and thrive. And the entire community of Orchard Ridge is going to benefit as a direct result.”
UPLIFT’s core focus is to transform vacant lots and structures into quality affordable housing. The program looks for places where there is a significant “appraisal gap,” meaning homes are appraised for far less than the selling price. UPLIFT will upgrade or provide new infrastructure, including things like parks and recreational facilities open to all members of the community.
The program is funded for $10 million through Fiscal Year 2024. Nonprofit homebuilder Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake will get $1.25 million to help develop the Orchard Ridge community with 27 new 3-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom homes.
In May 2024, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition released a report outlining how lenders continued to enforce racist lending practices in historically redlined communities 55 years after Congress outlawed the discriminatory practices. It concluded that “race-based exclusion from homeownership is still a de facto reality.” UPLIFT is a direct measure focused on mitigating the impact of redlining’s financial and cultural harm.
“Orchard Ridge represents exactly what UPLIFT was designed to do—transform historically disinvested areas of our state into thriving, opportunity-rich communities through strategic public investment and partnership,” said Jake Day, secretary for Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. “By increasing access to affordable homeownership, we’re not just building houses—we’re building generational wealth and restoring dignity to places that have been overlooked for far too long.”
“At Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, we bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope,” said Mike Posko, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake. “Our work and the blessing of homeownership are only possible by building community. Orchard Ridge is a testament to the strength of community when elected officials, agencies, community organizations, neighbors, volunteers, and funders come together to make the dream of homeownership possible. We are honored that the State of Maryland, through the UPLIFT Program, is such a supportive and committed partner.”
For more information on the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s UPLIFT program, visit this link.
