In the News
Keep People Housed — Take Action to Pass Key Reforms in 2026!
This past weekend marked the halfway point in Maryland’s 90-day legislative session. As we cross that benchmark, another, more critical deadline looms: March 23. This is crossover day, which means a bill has to have passed out of one chamber and crossed over to the opposite chamber to have a good chance to make it across the finish line this session. Several critical housing bills haven’t been voted on, and we need your help to get them on the vote lists and out of committee as the clock ticks down. Take action today! Corporate landlords and property managers are trying ...
Guide to Fair Housing for Maryland Landlords
Written by our Fair Housing Manager, LaToya McKay, A Guide to Fair Housing for Maryland landlords is now available on our website, at no charge. The guide will assist landlords with all phases of the tenancy process: Advertising, Application, Choosing a Tenant, and During the Tenancy. There's also a handy income and affordability calculation method to screen tenants with Housing Choice Vouchers or other forms of housing assistance. You'll learn more about Federal fair housing law, Maryland fair housing law, and we've included a handy cheat sheet that shows all of the Federal, state, and local protected classes. You can ...
Take Action — Stop Rent Price Fixing in Maryland!
We believe that everyone has the right to safe, affordable housing. For far too many renters across Maryland, prices are out of control. One reason: private equity firms are working with landlords to stack the deck against hard-working Maryland tenants. Private equity firms are using technology to fix prices to squeeze every dollar from renters to increase millionaires' profits. Technology is used to collect data on rental prices and each day it recommends a new price for each empty rental unit using private data. This drives up prices and means one renter may pay a lot more for their apartment ...
Take Action! Stop Predatory Grocery Pricing in Maryland!
Marylanders work hard to put food on the table for their families. But that is getting more and more difficult, as the cost of food continues to rise. Food prices have gone up 29% since February 2020, so it’s no wonder everyone is feeling the strain. Prices are higher and the amount of food purchased is much smaller. Take action to stop predatory pricing today! While there are a number of factors for this, one is simple: corporate greed. Grocery store chains are using reams of personal data to charge people different prices for the same bag of groceries. With ...
Action Alert: Put Maryland Utility Customers Before Company Profits!
As temperatures plummet, Maryland utility customers should be able to heat their homes without being forced to choose between utility bills and groceries or prescriptions, yet multi-million dollar utilities keep raising rates for customers while service outages continue. As a regulated monopoly, residents have few choices on how to heat and light their homes. Today, utility companies shift many of their business expenses onto our utility bills. Economic Action Maryland Fund is working to pass HB1/SB2, which would help lower energy bills and protect ratepayers. This bill would: Cap the amount of executive salaries and bonuses that are passed onto ...
Action Alert: Help Put a Stop to Zombie Mortgages in Maryland!
Everyday Marylanders are struggling with the skyrocketing costs of basic goods and services. As many costs soar out of control, it makes everything else harder to afford too. Many Maryland homeowners are having a hard time paying their mortgages. In fact, Maryland has the sixth-highest foreclosure rate in the country. Some Maryland homeowners have also faced a terrifying zombie foreclosure. In the early 2000s, lenders were qualifying some home buyers for mortgages using an 80/20 loan, where the homeowner holds a first and second loan simultaneously. When the mortgage bubble crashed, these second loans became worthless and many homeowners thought ...
Action Needed: Help Protect Maryland Families from Predatory Payday Lenders
Last year, the Maryland General Assembly passed HB1294 which legalized payday lending in Maryland for the first time in more than 50 years. Now, cash-strapped low-wage workers can use apps on their phone to take out a loan until the next payday. App-based short-term lenders charge large fees which means these loans have a 90%-300% APR, three to ten times Maryland’s approved rate of 33% for other consumer loans. And these out-of-state lenders request tips from hardworking Maryland residents for simply borrowing their own money. Take action to protect Marylanders from predatory payday loans today! While these payday loan apps are ...
Maryland Homeowners – Critical Home Repairs Grant
From the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development: The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) WholeHome Grant created under section 3206 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, helps Maryland homeowners facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It supports critical repairs in primary residences that could lead to displacement if not addressed. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Grant Amount Standard Grant: Up to $10,000 Exceptions: Up to $15,000 may be made for extenuating circumstances on a case by case basis with documentation of need. Examples of ...
2026 Economic Justice Priorities
Right now, our economy is designed to extract wealth from families and communities and concentrate it in corporate hands. We believe the economy should be shaped by the people, not by a handful of elites. Our 2026 legislative agenda is centered around economic justice, and confronts some of the most detrimental ways corporations, financial actors, and utilities profit by destabilizing Maryland families—and rewrites the rules across debt, housing, energy, and credit in the public interest. Together, let’s build an economy that works for Maryland families, not against them. End Unfair Debt Practices Protect victims of ...
Food Resources for Furloughed Federal Employees in Maryland
Beginning October 20, the Capital Area Food Bank will have additional food distributions, along with its regular distribution times and locations. You can pick up shelf-stable items along with fresh produce. In order to receive food at the additional distributions, you will need to show your work ID. The dates, times, and locations in Maryland are as follows: Tuesdays, from 12pm-2pm: No Limits Outreach Ministries, 7721 Barlowe Road, Hyattsville, MD, 20785 Wednesdays, from 10am–11:30am: So What Else, 6116 Executive Boulevard, North Bethesda, MD 20852 Saturdays, from 1:00pm-2:30pm: LindaBen Foundation, 10739 Tucker Street Beltsville, MD 20705 You can get more information ...