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Fair Housing for All

This week, the St. Mary’s County Commissioners issued a proclamation designating April as Fair Housing Month. Fair housing includes affordable housing that is in very short supply in our County.

During my last term of office, I supported forwarding legislation to Annapolis that allowed the County Commissioners to waive or defer the Impact Fee cost for non-profit organizations that build affordable housing projects. Both Habitat for Humanity and Tri-County Community Action Committee have been able to reduce affordable housing costs by using this exemption.

Another important component of fair housing is providing universal accessibility. Disabled people obviously need consideration by homebuilders. Handicapped access can be very affordable if accessibility is designed into the home from the beginning of the construction process. For example, a thirty-six inch wheel chair accessible door opening costs no more to install than a standard door opening while the home is being built. However, it is very expensive to retrofit a door opening after it has been constructed.

If you and I live long enough, we may be confronted with accessibility issues in our senior years. Every day, veterans of our wars are also dealing with disability issues they did not foresee prior to their service to our Country. Why not build accessible entrances and bathroom amenities into our homes from the beginning of the construction process?

Commissioner Tommy Mattingly has pushed forward the requirement to mandate residential sprinklers systems in new housing, but none of the commissioners has spoken up to insist that our seniors and disabled residents deserve housing that is accessible to them.

I look forward to learning more about this important issue. I will be that voice.