​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​In 2021, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development launched the pilot Homeownership Works (HOW) program. Also in 2021, the Maryland Legislature passed and the Governor enacted the Appraisal Gap From Historic Redlining Financial Assistance Program (SB ​859/HB ​1239), authorizing a program to overcome impediments to investing capital in depleted neighborhoods. In 2023, the Department made adjustments to its 2021 HOW Pilot Program. UPLIFT builds off previous initiatives to become a public-private partnership to invest in these communities. Under the legislation, the Appraisal Gap is defined as the difference between a project’s total eligible development costs and the price it can be sold for in the market.   

UPLIFT will collaborate with a broad array of stakeholding partners including local jurisdictions; not-for-profit and for-profit developers and builders; community-based organizations engaged in revitalization efforts; political leaders; and, of course, residents. It will involve entities from each sector to align incentives to achieve quality, timely production; and, ensure quality and accountability by providing appropriate standards and oversight. 

The primary goal for UPLIFT​ is to increase property values and provide wealth-building homeownership opportunities for targeted households by accelerating the pace of development, construction, and sale of quality affordable housing in low-income census tracts and designated Sustainable Communities to help close the appraisal gap that occurs in historically redlined communities. UPLIFT will also accomplish a variety of related goals as well, including: 

• Increasing homeownership in disinvested neighborhoods;
• Upgrading housing for Legacy Homeowners in appraisal gap neighborhoods;
• Revitalizing currently disinvested neighborhoods;
• Reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions from the Maryland housing stock; and,
• Expanding employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for Maryland workers and businesses, especially those from historically disadvantaged demographic groups.

Selected qualified development teams will acquire, develop, build, and sell quality affordable housing in strategically sized and located assemblages located in targeted neighborhoods using a combination of public and private financing. The difference between the cost to produce this housing and its sales prices, (the ​“Appraisal Gap”) will be supplied by the State under UPLIFT. 

• UPLIFT Program Guide - First Draft for Public Comment as of December 2023​
• Slide Deck for Winter 2023 Listening Session​