Baltimore's housing stock is relatively accessible compared to many other cities on the East Coast, yet deeply ingrained issues of inequality still plague the potential for homeownership to assist in the city's recovery.
Gillian B. White reports on a new report [pdf] from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition showing an uneven distribution of home loans among Baltimoreans: "Of the 2,653 mortgage applications submitted by white applicants in 2013, 75 percent were approved. Of the 1,304 submitted by black applicants, 61 percent were approved."
White notes that the city's relatively affordable housing stock offers chances for homeownership in ways that could potentially spur investment and revitalization. "But the benefits of homeownership will only be shared equally if the prerequisites for owning a home are equal for everyone," writes White. And in Baltimore: "Unfortunately, they’re not."
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