(TOWSON – November 29, 2022) — Dr. Sarah Manning and her family of five were forced to leave their home that she is renting from a landlord. The landlord has now been fined and the property deemed contaminated with black mold and is an environmental hazard condemned by the housing inspectors and the landlord-tenant courts of Baltimore County. Just before Thanksgiving, the family has been hospitalized with respiratory system health issues and now has to relocate by December 2nd, right before the holidays.
Housing Inspectors and the Landlord Tenant Court declared her home environmentally inhabitable. With Dr. Manning caring for two disabled family members and her two daughters, she has been unable to get help from the Courts or Social Services. Most staff are working from home. Hence, she is now hanging on a string in a hotel at the Ramada Inn only due to her calling Baltimore City Homeless Advocates Minister Christina Flowers. Flowers reached out to Zulieka Baysmore.
“No matter how you look at it, Maryland’s government has made working, buying property to do business, and operating a business in the state extremely expensive compared to other states like Florida, Virginia, Utah, or North Carolina,” said Maryland Public Policy Institute President and CEO Christopher Summers. “The result is a stagnant economy that both residents and businesses often flee from.”
CNBC reported on Oct. 1 that Maryland is 7th least popular state in the nation to move to in 2022.
Not only is Maryland becoming one of the worst states to live due to high taxes but also the lack of affordable housing development, slum landlords and homelessness add to the problems. Baltimore County, Maryland is now catching up to Baltimore City when it comes to homelessness with an increasing number of slum landlords who neglect the upkeep of their rental properties and are now adding to environmental health hazards for renters.
“If nothing changes, and Maryland’s political leaders continue on their habitual path of taxing local workers and businesses at such extreme levels, and continue not to house the most vulnerable citizens and slow to partner with entities that provide emergency housing the lack of aggressive building houses and apartment projects Maryland will continue to be a state left behind,” Baysmore states. “Though California undoubtedly earns the most headlines in terms of companies and residents escaping their onerous business climate and the homelessness epidemic and all the crime and mental health issues that come with it, the fact that our mediocre economy flies under the radar should be no comfort to Marylanders. Policy changes that prioritize economic improvement and housing development and partnerships to lower and prevent homelessness must be prioritized in Annapolis.”.
Even though hundreds of millions of dollars pour into Baltimore City and the State of Maryland annually, the dollars to house the most vulnerable citizens are not structured to succeed in doing so. Baltimore City’s Mayor Brandon Scott in May dedicated $100 Million dollars to Housing and investment in building affordable housing. The County received 10s of Millions of dollars just in Emergency Rental and prevention of evictions last year from the Care Act COVID Funds – yet rents are climbing by more than 70% and Landlord Tenant Courts docket calendars are filled.
We must track the dollars and hold leadership accountable for not housing our most vulnerable citizens with HUD funds.
A Press Conference will be held in front of Dr. Sarah Manning’s condemned home tomorrow. Councilman Izzy Patoka has been invited to attend as well as County Executive Johnny Olszewski.
There will be a Press Conference: