Maryland Inclusive Housing Corporation

HELP PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL & OTHER DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

IN FY23, FOR THE FIRST TIME, MIH WAS FULLY STAFFED AND FUNDED TO IMPLEMENT ITS WORK IN THE TRANSFORMATION OF RESIDENTIAL SERVICES. WE MADE GREAT PROGRESS IN ALL THREE AREAS OF OUR WORK: TWO NEW HOUSING COMMITTEES WERE FORMED: ONE IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY AND ONE ON THE EASTERN SHORE. THE HOUSING COMMITTEES IN BALTIMORE CITY, HOWARD COUNTY AND MONTGOMERY COUNTY CONTINUED TO MEET BI-MONTHLY. THESE COMMITTEES ARE CREATING COLLABORATION BETWEEN AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPERS, LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITIES, INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES TO MAKE SURE THAT BOTH NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND EXISTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS AFFORDABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO MARYLANDERS WITH DISABILITIES. IN JANUARY, WE LAUNCHED OUR REBRANDED AND REDESIGNED WEBSITE (MIH-INC.ORG) AND RECEIVED EXCELLENT REVIEWS. THE NEW LOOK HIGHLIGHTS OUR INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE OF ALL ITEMS RELATED TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN MARYLAND. THE NEW SITE IS MUCH MORE VIBRANT AND USER-FRIENDLY. THE JOIN OUR COMMUNITY FEATURE HAS ALLOWED US TO GET OUR WORD OUT TO A MUCH LARGER AUDIENCE AROUND THE STATE. IN JUNE 2023, THE MIH-INC.ORG HOSTED 1,542 TOTAL SESSIONS, UP FROM 618 IN JUNE 2022, EXACTLY A YEAR BEFORE. THAT'S AN INCREASE OF NEARLY 250%. OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE HAS ALSO GROWN LEAPS AND BOUNDS. BEFORE MAY 2022, OUR ORGANIZATION HAD NO PRESENCE ON TWITTER OR LINKEDIN. IN APRIL 2023, WE REACHED AN ALL-TIME HIGH OF 4,838 TWITTER IMPRESSIONS. WE RECEIVED 49 LINKEDIN PAGE VIEWS IN MAY 2023. IN JUNE 2023, WE RECEIVED 157 FACEBOOK PAGE VISITS. LAUREN SILVERSTONE WAS PROMOTED TO DIRECTOR OF HOUSING SUPPORT SERVICES (HSS), A NEWLY CREATED POSITION, AND A THIRD FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE WAS HIRED TO PROVIDE HSS. ALL THREE MEMBERS OF THE HSS TEAM ARE WORKING AT CAPACITY WITH A WAITING LIST FOR SERVICES ESTABLISHED. WE HAVE ALSO TRAINED AN ADDITIONAL 25 PEOPLE FROM 10 AGENCIES TO BRING THE TOTAL STAFF TRAINED TO 66 PEOPLE FROM 30 DIFFERENT AGENCIES. EACH HSS CERTIFIED COHORT IS INVITED TO ATTEND LAUREN'S BI-MONTHLY HSS NETWORKING MEETING. THE COMMITTEE DISCUSSES UPDATES REGARDING HOUSING PROGRAMS, POLICIES AND DDA SERVICES. IT ALSO ASSISTS CERTIFIED HSS PROFESSIONALS NAVIGATE ISSUES AND BARRIERS AND COLLABORATE TO SHARE RESOURCES AND IDEAS. MIH PROVIDED HSS TO 129 INDIVIDUALS IN FY23 COMPARED TO 74 INDIVIDUALS IN FY22. DURING FY23, EIGHT INDIVIDUALS MOVED INTO HOUSING OF THEIR CHOICE. THE HSS TEAM PROVIDED TENANCY SUPPORT SERVICES TO HELP EACH INDIVIDUAL MAINTAIN THEIR TENANCY THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR. MIH IS PROUD OF THE WORK WE ARE DOING TO CREATE NEW HOUSING OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH IDD IN MARYLAND. WE ARE ALSO EXCITED TO IMPLEMENT OUR STRATEGIC PLAN OF BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS, CREATING CHANGES TO BUILD MORE INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES, AND SHARING INFORMATION ABOUT HOW PEOPLE CAN FIND AND ACCESS INCLUSIVE HOUSING OF THEIR CHOICE.