Baltimore Could Revive Dollar Homes Program

As reported in an article by Margaret Chadbourn, Baltimore's City Council president wants to revive a decades-old plan to lease city-owned homes to low-income families for $1.

If approved, the program would make thousands of vacant homes available to qualifying residents. Stipulations include a 15-year residency in the city, or five years of working as a city employee. Council President Mosby "is calling on the mayor to use about $200 million dollars from the pandemic relief bill enacted by Congress earlier this year to fund the program," writes Chadbourn.

The proposal mirrors a 1970s program that helped revitalize Baltimore neighborhoods through dollar home sales, government loans, and investment in local infrastructure. The success of the Dollar Homes program led to even further investment and redevelopment as more buyers sought low-cost houses to rehabilitate in formerly blighted areas.