Housing Partnership Specialist

Baltimore City is working to expand homeownership opportunities as a pathway to economic stability and generational wealth, particularly for low-income residents and communities of color. The FUSE Executive Fellow will develop a strategic framework to unify and expand homeownership coaching resources. Ultimately, this initiative will empower Baltimore residents to achieve long-term homeownership, thereby fostering community stability and economic resilience for future generations.

Fellowship Dates: April 28, 2025 – April 24, 2026

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $80,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit working to expand social and economic opportunities, particularly for communities that have been limited by a history of systemic and institutionalized racism. FUSE partners with local governments and communities to more effectively address pressing challenges by placing experienced professionals within city and county agencies. These FUSE Executive Fellows lead strategic projects designed to advance racial equity and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 250 projects in 40 governments across 20 states, impacting the lives of 25 million people.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Homeownership is a crucial pathway to economic stability and generational wealth, yet significant barriers prevent many individuals from accessing opportunities, particularly low-income households and communities of color. Historic policies in Baltimore, MD such as redlining and ongoing housing inequities have left marginalized communities with limited pathways to property ownership. This problem is further complicated by growing rental costs and a lack of accessible resources for navigating the purchasing process. While the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD’s) national standard for affordable housing is based on a $97,000 annual household income, Baltimore’s median household income stands at $55,000, creating a gap between what is defined as affordable and what residents can realistically attain. This disconnect further perpetuates housing instability, impacting renters who aspire to buy homes but lack the support and networks to achieve homeownership, ultimately limiting opportunities for wealth-building in these communities.

The Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has implemented a range of initiatives to expand affordable housing and promote homeownership. DHCD currently provides down payment and closing cost assistance programs to address financial barriers and collaborates with nonprofit housing organizations to offer housing counseling. Additionally, Baltimore’s recent 15-year housing plan prioritizes the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) and aims to bridge the affordability gap for low-income residents through increased access to financial, educational, and empowerment resources for prospective homebuyers. DHCD has made strides in partnering with community-based organizations to build sustainable support for these programs, however, the need for comprehensive homeownership coaching persists, particularly for low-income residents and communities of color who remain underserved in current programs.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Beginning in May 2025, the FUSE Executive Fellow will collaborate with the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to create and implement a strategic framework to expand homeownership opportunities for Baltimore residents through coaching resources. This initiative will focus on supporting renters in achieving homeownership as a pathway to generational wealth and neighborhood stability, particularly for low-income residents and communities of color.

The Executive Fellow will begin by conducting a comprehensive listening tour with key stakeholders, including Baltimore residents, housing nonprofits, and community-based organizations. They will gather insights on the challenges residents face in navigating the homeownership process. This tour will aim to highlight the perspectives of historically marginalized groups who face systemic barriers to homeownership. The Executive Fellow will also perform a landscape analysis of Baltimore’s current homeownership coaching resources and assess successful coaching models from other cities. Using the collected insights, the Executive Fellow will present project goals and deliverables to DHCD for approval, ensuring alignment with departmental priorities and community needs.

The Executive Fellow will then focus on designing and implementing a homeownership coaching framework tailored to Baltimore residents’ unique needs. This framework will unify existing coaching programs and establish a standardized curriculum across partner agencies including housing counseling agencies, financial institutions, and community-based organizations. The Executive Fellow will collaborate closely with local partners such as NHS Baltimore, Southeast CDC, and Live Baltimore to implement the program by coordinating coaching efforts and expanding program capacity. Additionally, the Executive Fellow will create a plan to strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders and community organizations to align and implement outreach strategies and educational efforts with DHCD’s long-term vision. This will include organizing community engagement initiatives such as workshops and informational sessions to build awareness about homeownership opportunities and provide prospective homeowners with access to coaching resources.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

By early 2026, the Executive Fellow will have produced the following:

• Standardized Homeownership Coaching Framework: Developed a comprehensive coaching model that housing counseling agencies can use to provide consistent support for prospective homebuyers, with a focus on financial readiness, credit improvement, and maintenance responsibilities.
• Strategic Plan for Scaling Homeownership Coaching: Created a multi-year strategy to expand coaching services across Baltimore, including partnership-building, capacity expansion, and sustainable funding recommendations.
• Community Engagement and Outreach Strategy: Designed and launched an outreach campaign to connect residents with homeownership resources, particularly targeting underserved communities and first-time homebuyers.
• Implementation Roadmap and Sustainability Framework: Established a roadmap with budget requirements, timelines, and sustainability measures for DHCD to continue growing the homeownership coaching program beyond the fellowship period.
• Established Network of Homeownership Support Partners: Engaged and strengthened a community of housing nonprofits, community organizations, and local stakeholders dedicated to supporting Baltimore’s long-term homeownership strategy.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

• Executive Sponsor – Alice Kennedy, Commissioner, Housing & Community Development
• Project Supervisor – Nicole Hart, Deputy Commissioner, Housing & Homeownership Preservation; Brenda Winston, Director, Homeownership & Loan Servicing Unit

QUALIFICATIONS

• Synthesizes complex information into clear and concise recommendations and action-oriented implementation plans.
• Develops and effectively implements both strategic and operational project management plans.
• Generates innovative, data-driven, and result-oriented solutions to complex challenges.
• Respond quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, trends, strategies, and other processes.
• Communicates effectively verbally and in writing and excels in active listening and conversing.
• Fosters collaboration across multiple constituencies to support more effective decision-making.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, both inside and outside of government, particularly community-based relationships.
• Embraces differing viewpoints and implements strategies to find common ground.
• Demonstrates confidence and professional diplomacy while effectively interacting with individuals at all levels of various organizations.