Justin Hanna still can鈥檛 believe he鈥檚 a homeowner.
鈥淚 kind of have those moments every time I鈥檓 cooking or when I鈥檓 making coffee in the morning. It鈥檚 still kind of a shock, where I鈥檓 like, 鈥楾his is mine. This is my home,鈥� 鈥� he said.
LNYW participant Justin Hanna prepares a smoothie in his renovated kitchen.
Last February, Hanna, a facilities manager at the , moved into a renovated three-level townhouse in Pigtown with financial assistance from the 爆料公社, Baltimore鈥檚 (UMB) Live Near Your Work (LNYW) program, which in December marked a milestone by surpassing the $1 million mark in homebuying grants awarded to University employees.
Hanna鈥檚 spacious and modern home boasts two bedrooms, three baths, a finished basement, and a fenced-in backyard patio complete with a firepit. Standing in his kitchen and speaking above the whir of a blender, Hanna marvels at the home he never imagined he鈥檇 be able to buy before age 40.
鈥淚 was under the impression that I needed to save X amount of money, and I was like, 鈥楾here鈥檚 no way. I won鈥檛 be able to do that anytime soon,鈥� 鈥� Hanna said. He calls the LNYW program an 鈥渁bsolute blessing鈥� that allowed him to combine his love of city life with his desire to be able to walk to work.
鈥淚鈥檓 literally a 10-minute walk from work. I don鈥檛 need a car, and it鈥檚 just incredibly convenient to be able to wake up in the morning knowing that I鈥檓 not going to get stuck in traffic. My neighbors are awesome, too. People are super friendly, and everything I need is right here just across the street,鈥� he said, motioning toward a shopping center up the block.
The LNYW program is a homebuying assistance benefit for UMB employees that offers $16,000 as well as a matching $2,500 Baltimore City grant to be used toward the down payment and closing costs on homes in nine West Baltimore neighborhoods: Barre Circle, Franklin Square, Hollins Market, Mount Clare, Pigtown/Washington Village, Poppleton, Union Square, and Druid Heights and Heritage Crossing, which were added in 2020.
Dawn Rhodes, DBA, MBA, UMB鈥檚 senior vice president and chief business and finance officer, says hitting the $1 million mark was 鈥渉uge鈥� as the program continues to make employees鈥� dreams of home ownership a reality.
鈥淚t means that 63 of our employees have purchased homes since 2018,鈥� Rhodes says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just very excited about where we鈥檝e gotten in such a short period of time.鈥�
Rhodes views homeownership as an economic step up for many employees who may not have been able to set aside the significant amount of money required for a down payment.
鈥淢any of our homeowners are female. We have people that are across the educational spectrum. We have people of all different races. This, to me, was a direct act of community engagement,鈥� she says.
Rhodes was instrumental in revitalizing the LNYW program, which increased the rarely used benefit from $2,500 to $16,000 in 2018 and boosted community partnerships with Live Baltimore, the Southwest Partnership, and GO Northwest Housing Resource Center to offer homebuying workshops, financial counseling, neighborhood tours, and a housing fair.
According to Rhodes, participating in LYNW is a winning proposition on all fronts.
鈥淥ur employees win by establishing personal wealth through homeownership,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he city wins because these were previously homes that taxes weren鈥檛 being paid on. And the neighborhood wins because there鈥檚 a new neighbor that helps stabilize and energize the neighborhood.鈥�
Hanna agrees. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something about saying I鈥檓 an owner that just boosts my confidence and my self-esteem, knowing that this is my home and I鈥檓 here as long as I want to be here,鈥� he says.
Share This Page
