The housing crisis in Maryland is a big issue and there are two factors that make up the majority of this issue: the housing shortage and affordable housing. Together as Marylanders, there are ways these issues can be fixed.
The first factor in this issue is that Maryland faces a significant housing shortage, estimated at 96,000 units. This is causing many residents to struggle to find homes and find a home fit for their families. In Maryland, there is also inadequate construction. Inadequate construction can manifest in several ways, including structurally deficient bridges, poor bridge conditions, and defects in residential and commercial buildings.
There are also restrictive zoning laws, these restrictive zoning laws can limit the potential for certain types of development, particularly infill projects. With restrictions and bad construction, it is hard for there to be enough homes for residents living in Maryland.
In Maryland, there has been a lot of population growth and migration trends, intensifying the demand for these homes.
A solution to this could be removing the restrictions and providing more opportunities for homes to be built. Other things we can do to help the housing shortage include reimagine zoning, which would change regulations that hinder the construction of smaller housing types, such as duplexes and townhouses. This will also help the other factor in the issue, affordable housing, by allowing there to be smaller, less expensive housing like duplexes and townhouses.
Now, housing shortages in Maryland are not the only factor in this issue, as Maryland also faces another problem, which is affordable housing. Though both of these factors tie together in some ways, there are differences between the two, each having its own issues which have different solutions.
The second factor is housing, and rental housing is very expensive and not affordable for most residents. In Maryland, as of today, from Zillow, the average price for a home is $425,692 for a house, and from Apartments.com, the average monthly rent is $1,675. Now these prices are really hard for residents to afford because of the average income in Maryland, which is $101,652. Now, this income may seem high, but this is just average. That means about half of Maryland residents are below that number, and the other half is above. The income in Maryland isn’t actually so bad, but in terms of lower-income families, the prices of housing and rental housing are expensive. With high prices and low-income families, it is hard for them to afford a home suitable for their needs. A solution to this problem could be lowering the prices a little or providing more opportunities for the lower-income families to make more money. Things we could and need to do to help affordable housing are increasing housing supply, expanding rental assistance programs, and advocating for policy changes.
Both these crises are affecting many ages, including seniors, students, single parents, and even people with disabilities. Seniors are affected by this because they might be looking for a retirement home to stay in, but have trouble finding an affordable house/apartment. Students are heavily affected by these crises because they are having to pay for education and can only work so much, so there are many struggles with how expensive housing is. Single parents are struggling to support their children and family with only one job.
