Show Transcript
Disclaimer: The following transcript was auto-generated and may contain spelling or contextual errors.
You're watching Open Agenda. Here's our
host, Joe White.
>> Welcome to Open Agenda. I'm your host,
Joe White. In the studio with us now is
Dr. Joe Venosa from Salsbury. Thank you,
>> Sister Michael Goldberg from from
Delmare. Thank you for being here.
>> Howdy. Howdy.
>> So, uh, we're going to bring in Molly
Hilligos, and she's the president and
CEO of Habitat for Humanity for Wakcomo
County. And I also want to bring in
Michael Langford from Salsbury who
spends a lot of time at this city
council meetings talking about housing.
He's a property manager himself.
>> U we saw at the county council meeting
Tuesday this the deferral of property
tax credits for Habitat. We've heard the
the changes coming for Housing First for
Salsbury. So, I really wanted to bring
in some folks who really understand this
at the ground level and to see how they
feel like these changes could have a
positive or negative impact and then
after they're done, I'd like to come
back in and talk about it from a
political standpoint because we're
seeing it
it present at the these council
meetings. Right.
>> Indeed.
>> So, will you guys stick around?
>> Totally.
>> All right. So when we come back, we're
going to bring on president and CEO of
Wakcomo County Habitat for Humanity,
Molly Hilligos, and Michael Langford,
property manager in Salsbury. So stay
with us. We'll be right back.
Welcome back to Open Agenda. In the
studio with us now is the president and
CEO of Wakcom County Habitat for
Humanity, Molly Hilligos.
>> Thanks for having me.
>> Thanks for coming.
>> Hi everybody.
>> Mike Langford, thanks for enjoy joining
us today as well. Thanks for having me.
>> We've seen you out in the public a lot
and we've heard some some of the
programs that are involved with Habitat
in the news lately, but I really wanted
to find out from the source exactly some
of the programs, how they work, and some
of the challenges you see coming up
ahead. So, I I want to first ask you
about the down payment assistance
program. Can you explain a little bit
about what programs you offer there and
and how people can find out more
information?
>> Sure. So, um, I always encourage folks
to go to our website, ycomohhabitat.org,
just for more information about all of
our programs, but our goal is to provide
affordable home ownership and attainable
home ownership. We our program is very
specific. So, when you think about a
housing continuum, so when you think
about a housing continuum from say
homeless to a luxury home builder, we
are only serving a very narrow slice of
that continuum. So the families that
earn between 30% of the area median
income and 80% of the area median income
are the families that we are charged
with serving. And that goes for becoming
first-time home buyers as well as
preserving home ownership for our older
adults that are needing critical home
repairs.
>> Okay. And so, um,
probably the most difficult part
recently,
um, because of the high cost of
construction, even with a nonprofit, we
get some we get some special deals and
we use volunteer um, volunteers to help
us, but the cost to build right now is
over 200,000 for a three-bedroom, two-
bath house. Our cost
>> Yes. That's not even that's just
materials
and um subcontractors.
I mean
>> inspections
>> inspe cost of the land.
>> Yeah.
>> All that. Um so then when you have a
family, let's say um we have a family
right now that uh she's a teacher
assistant in Wcomamico County Schools
and her son is going to buy the house
with her.
>> Okay.
>> And he's in the trades and their
combined income is 62,000. Okay.
>> A year. Okay. So, the most they can
afford in terms of their first mortgage,
the affordable mortgage, is around 1,300
a month.
>> Okay.
>> Okay. And it's really even hard to find
a rental for 1300 a month.
>> Yes.
>> So, um we are required to sell homes at
fair market value. So, even if it cost
us 270,000 to build the house, if it
appraises for 2 250, that's what we have
to sell it for.
>> Okay.
>> So,
a family that earns 62,000 um with
current interest rates, the market at
around six and a half, let's say, they
could they can only afford a principal
and interest payment of $950 a month
plus the taxes and insurance to get to
that 1300, right?
>> Yeah. And it's not going to buy you,000.
>> All they can get if we sell it for $
250, the loan they can get is for
$150,000. So then we have a gap of
$100,000 that we have to figure out how
are we going to
provide home ownership for that family,
right?
>> Yeah. So then, so when you ask the
question about down payment assistance,
it's not that we're providing the down
payment assistance, it's that we're it's
yes and so we're finding down payment
assistance for that family
and we then come in with layered down
payment assistance to make it work.
Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta
provides the money to the banks that
they then lend. Right.
>> Okay. So they are required to provide
special programs for first-time home
buyers, especially for folks in that are
educators, firefighters, police
officers. So they can prov they'll
provide up to 20,000 in down payment
assistance if the home buyer is buying
through Habitat.
>> Okay. Is that is that money they have to
pay back or is that just
>> It is a forgivable it's a forgivable
5year
>> so they they make their payments and
stay in the house
>> as long as they own the home and they
stay in the home for 5 years. Poof, that
down payment assistance disappears,
which is great.
>> That's fantastic.
>> So, but in this situation, right, like
this example where I've got a $100,000
gap,
>> right?
>> Okay. So, we get the 20,000. I'm still
short 80,000. Where where's that money
going to come from?
So either we layer it or if we've if
we've spent the money from donations
um to build that house, we can then hold
a silent second mortgage that would then
stay in place until the family sells the
house or refinances at some point in the
future and then Habitat gets paid back.
>> Okay. Because they don't get that for
free, but they're they're in second
place on the on the mortgage.
>> Yeah. There's no monthly repayment.
There are other down payment assistance
programs. For example, um the Maryland
mortgage program has some down payment
assistance. They have 3% 4% 5%
um up to 6%
but the interest rate is higher the
program and how much down payment
assistance. Basically, you're going to
pay for your down payment assistance in
the rate. What's the solution? Right?
because we can't serve more families
faster
>> if we have to come up with 100,000 gap
for each family, right? And the reality
is is here in Wcomamico County, home
ownership has sunk to 58%. We are second
to last in the state, worst in the state
is Baltimore City.
>> Oh wow.
>> With Kamaku County, 58% of all the homes
are owner occupied. 10 years ago, we
were six points higher. And like you you
mentioned before, a cost of a rental is
actually even higher than the $1,300
that these folks would qualify for.
>> For sure. Yeah. I mean,
>> so if they continue to rent, they're
never going to be in a position to if we
could get the rate down,
>> right? So instead of 6 and a half%, if
we could get down to 4 and a.5%.
with permanent rate buy downs. If there
were banks out there or
um CDFIS, community development finance
institutions that are also nonprofits
that would lend money for home
ownership, first-time home buyers at 4
and a.5%.
And then wait, wait for it. Instead of a
30-year fixed, how about a 40-year
fixed?
I know it's a little controversial
because it's like, whoa, how old will
they be when they finally pay the house
off? But the whole goal is to get the
family into affordable home ownership.
>> Yeah.
>> Stabilize that payment
so that they can have the opportunity to
build generational wealth through home
ownership. Right. the $250,000 house if
we are able to get four and a half%
fixed for 40 years. Then that same
family can afford a $212,000
loan instead of $150,000 loan. Their
principal and interest payment is the
same $950.
>> That's fantastic.
>> And then Habitat, we only have to come
up with 38,000 in down payment
assistance. So then let's go back to the
Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta can
bribe 20,000. Now I only have to come up
with 18,000 versus 80,000. That is how
we can address
uh the affordable attainable home
ownership at scale.
>> Well, what do you think? Well, listen,
anytime you have an opportunity to get
someone who is no longer paying rent and
to to to own in an asset, uh I I I'm a
big believer that that does help the
community. For those out there who wish
to rent, that that that's a choice that
they if they want to do it that way, I'm
I very much support them. But, uh it
would be nice if people had the
opportunity to purchase and and start to
build that wealth.
>> And this isn't this isn't like I'm not
blazing this is not like I'm blazing any
trails here. I mean, other Habitats in
the nation are already doing this.
Habitat for Humanity International will
allow us to offer 40-year fixed
mortgages.
>> So, what's keeping you from being able
to do it now? Just find an institution
to underwrite it.
>> Um, local banks are not interested in a
40-year mortgage right now. Okay.
>> Really interesting.
>> Because the market demand is so high.
>> Uh, a lot of banks resell the mortgages
on a secondary market. So there has to
be an appetite to buy those loans on the
secondary market. There really isn't
much of that.
>> And then also, you know, um not unlike
people, right, banks don't like a lot of
change.
And so
>> I want to ask you too, I I was at the
county council meeting on Tuesday and
they were talking about the property tax
credits for Habitat for some of the
properties, 14 properties that you own.
Um it it does It seems like it wasn't it
be very important for them to pass it.
Uh it did pass. Uh what what is that
program and why is it important to
Habitat?
>> So it's really not a property tax
credit. It is more of a deferment. So
what we've asked them is that let's say
we're going to buy a package of homes or
you know even the ones we the ones we
have right now are are all scheduled to
be sold um soon. So it's really about
the future. So, let's say a um um
there's a landlord out there that's just
tired of, you know, tired of being a
landlord, just wants to sell off and um
so we let's say we buy a package of 10
homes. Um
we would then go to the county and say
um you know, county, we would like the
to exercise our right for a property tax
deferment. So, the property tax would
stop. I mean, it wouldn't stop. It would
just pause
>> for five years. Correct.
>> Right. And then it would give us an
opportunity to rehab those homes. Okay.
>> And then when we sell them to our
first-time home buyers, then all that
tax that we would have paid over those 5
years becomes due
>> at at the settlement table.
>> Settlement table. And so
>> so the countyy's not out anymore.
>> The county is out no money.
>> I think that's an important fact to put
out there because in the in the session
there was a lot of discussion about just
how that would work, right? And the
county made it very clear although
they're not collecting any additional
interest during this deferment,
>> right?
>> They're not losing the money that was
already going to be owed. Well, and and
and they talked about the overall cost.
I mean, in in the 14 properties that
they talked about specifically, you're
talking $20,000 over a 5year period.
>> Yeah. It's not that much. It's
minuscule,
>> but it helps you with your cash flow.
And I think that's the important
takeaway there.
>> So, you can get more people into a home
ownership situation.
>> Yeah. I mean, it is so expensive to
rehab a home. My goodness. Like,
>> just just to re replace the HVAC system,
you're talking 10 grand.
>> Yeah.
>> Um on a on a small three-bedroom, one
bath house that was built in 2000. The
roof is going to be 7,000.
>> Yeah.
>> I mean, all these things, all these are
major
>> renovations. Renovate. Yeah. The costs
are huge.
>> Yeah.
>> I want to talk about the housing first.
the city of Salsbury is making changes
and there seems to be um
some some appetite to end that. Uh what
would that do to the mission of the work
you're doing?
>> So, as I mentioned about the housing,
you know, the housing continuum from
homeless to luxury home builders. Um
that is on the unhoused the homeless
part of that continuum. So, um
>> how does the housing first work now? So
I am not um that's not our sliver of the
housing continuum. So I'm not following
that.
>> I want to ask you Michael.
>> So the way that I like view it is um you
look at the history of this country and
post World War II in the 50s and 60s um
you end up having the film you know in
the book originally one flew over the
cuckoo's nest because of asylums and
abuses. And so people started suing
asylums and sanitariums and the places
where you would keep the most vulnerable
population that Molly's talking about.
And so these people um no longer had
like long-term care facilities that were
accessible because like nursing homes
cost money. So if somebody has um severe
mental illness and there's not some
place for them to go to now they're
potentially in a homeless situation. So
the housing first program as I
understand it most charitably is that um
the intention has been to keep people
who otherwise would be constantly
seeking services you know constantly
encountering first responders and having
a cost to us collectively now they're in
a housing situation where they're stable
and that the city is I guess paying
their rent essentially to
>> my understanding was that it was based
off of their income and and in different
similar to what Molly was talking about
it's a sliding scale it's it could 30%
of their income if they're in this
level, 50% of their income, but they can
graduate out of it.
>> So the the I think the my understanding
of the shift that they want to make is
going from a long-term to a short-term
or transitional care model. So instead
of keeping one person who maybe can't is
on disability for mental health for
mental health and they maybe cannot uh
hold a job full-time and pay market rent
that person instead of them having an
option to be one place for 8 years we're
looking at trying to move every two
years transition say a single mom with
kids who had a surgery back surgery
through a work injury got workers comp
but that's not enough to pay rent
because that's only a percentage of your
income. Now you're facing homelessness.
we can in two years help that person get
through that medical issue which is
reasonable and get them back onto their
feet.
>> Well, I I want to ask you, Molly, what
do you think is the future of Habitat?
Uh what are the challenges that you
expect to face you when we're when we're
sitting here three or five years from
now? What do you think we'll be talking
about?
Gosh, I mean, so our vision is to build
more families faster. Like our local
affiliate
strat strategic vision, how do we serve
more families faster in both home home
ownership and home preservation? So, we
have right now we have four different um
programs basically um to fund critical
home repairs. And so one is a poverty
plumbing grant. Um so that's very
exciting for us. We are one of five um
agencies in the state that was able to
receive that award.
>> And it just made the news, right?
>> It just made the news, right? So 300,000
over two years is it sounds like a lot
of money and it is, but these folks that
are coming to us like they're having a
failing septic or they need to do drain
fees,
>> not small not small ticket items,
>> right? So, our goal is to continue to
serve a minimum of 30 families a year
with critical home repairs. And then,
um, I'd like to see us sell be selling
at least 15 homes a year.
>> Wow.
>> Yeah. If we can get if we can, you know,
get this the permanent rate buy downs,
the U 40-year amortization, and layered
down payment assistance, that those
three things are going to really set a
trajectory of
>> again, serving more families faster. We
also are the recipient of 400,000 for um
rental assistance.
>> Okay. Okay.
>> And so, uh, that is through the
community, that's a community schools
rental and utility assistance program
through Department of Housing and
Community Development. And, um, we are
going to run through that very quickly.
>> But, um,
>> what will you use that for?
>> It'll be for rental and utility
assistance for families that have
children in what are considered
community schools. Okay. Wcomo counties.
>> And how long do you expect that grant to
last you? Is it through this this winter
season or is it for a whole year?
>> We have until next September, but
400,000 it's going to go it's going to
go like that. I guess I'm guessing by
January it'll be gone.
>> How would people get more information
about that program? Where would they go?
>> They can go to our website
ycomabitat.org
and there's um right on the front page
there's a b one of those little sliding
banners. Um the first one's our chefs
for habitat. So
>> Okay. Oh yeah. When what is that?
>> Um, tickets go on sale November 1st and
that is March 7th, 2026.
>> What's your theme this year?
>> It is um it's a Hollywood theme. So,
it's
>> Has anybody ever left that event hungry?
>> No.
>> Okay. So, if you're a hungry person and
you want to help the community,
>> Yes. buy a ticket. It'll be it's so much
fun.
>> What else is there to do in March?
Really? But what I'm saying with the
back to the rental assistance, you click
on that on that little banner and it
takes you to an online application and
then even the landlord can click on that
and they can apply um for their tenant.
>> Wow. So Molly, is there any resources
that are coming from the federal
government?
>> I'm so glad you asked me because I
brought actually brought you some
information on the um renewing
opportunity in the American dream to
housing act of 2025 that was passed in
July. And there are um there's like all
these all of this funding that is that
could be available to address housing
issues. I will be sending this out to
our elected officials
uh so that at the county and city if
there are grant opportunities
uh to address housing, they're aware of
that.
>> This is an opportunity for local
governments to apply for for grants from
the federal government that could be
used in our community.
>> Absolutely. Yes. And in the what I've
noticed in the past is that there
haven't been um
um there just have hasn't been
applications made.
>> Do they have a grant writer at the city
currently? Do you know?
>> They just hired a grant writer. Um she
reached out a couple days ago to me. So
>> Okay. Excellent.
>> Because we have a city grant right now
for for home rehab.
>> So I would like to to have you back on
that.
>> Okay. So then you can start start
reading
>> in your free time.
So, thanks for watching this segment of
Open Agenda. We'll be right back.
Welcome back to Open Agenda. Dr.
Joinosa, thanks for coming back.
>> Yep.
>> Mr. Mike Goldberg, thanks for coming
back in.
>> Yes, sir.
>> It's very interesting to hear what Molly
had to say. uh not just about programs
that Habitat is is offering, maybe some
of the future and even may some of the
other challenges that are for the
unhoused folks who are not quite at the
level that they're serving. Um you know,
we we have we've seen it with the city
government, we've seen it with the
county government. We we chase this this
uh albatross that is uh affordable
housing, right?
>> Mhm. So Joe, do you think we're are we
are we hitting the right notes or are we
just going the wrong way?
>> Well, I think any any any
good is good, right? So I think what
Habitat does is good and I think those
efforts should be, you know, celebrated
and commended. I think part of the
problem is just the scale of of the
problem, and we were talking about this
off camera, but you know, part of the
issue with the local aspects of of
housing supply and cost is that you
can't distinguish it from the broader
societal stuff.
>> Sure.
>> And and that's part of
>> we live in a capital capitalistic world
where the market is going to drive these
factors
>> and yet there's so much government
regulation and then there's the
influence of the private sector and then
there's the historic role. So, it's like
you have all these really complicated
competing entities and some cooperate
and then you have the history behind it
and like in the end the results speak
for themselves.
>> Well, let's frame it in the context of
some of the the density issues that's
been discussed in the city of Salsbury
and the properties that have been sold
off to,
>> you know, developers with ties to the
former mayor.
>> Sure. are okay. We're we're we're
fighting this housing battle,
>> but doesn't it seem like there's develop
selected developers who are going to
make a lot of money on what's going on?
>> And not only that, but they it seems to
run contrary to what someone like Molly
and Habitat for Humanity are doing,
which is, you know, their goal is to
expand home ownership. And I fully agree
with that. you you had made a point
earlier that you know any kind of effort
you can do to develop home ownership is
a good thing because I think people
generally are going to treat what they
own better certainly it's a way of
building wealth now again there's always
going to be renters there's going to be
people that are more transitional that's
just an aspect of life but it's
interesting that most of the housing
approaches we've taken certainly in the
city uh and to some extent the county uh
are more tipped to the scale toward
developers for rentals
uh rather than genuine generational home
ownership. And that's the the to me the
great fallacy here.
>> Well, Mike, I want to ask you, you know,
you were at the county council meeting
last Tuesday and you've been there when
they've discussed property uh tax
credits for things like in the Horizon
Fund for like the Ross building, which
is more dormatory style apartments.
One of the things we got to ask uh Molly
Hilligos was was about this $20,000
property tax deferral, yet at the same
time we're giving millions of dollars
away to something like Mantis Capital
that they don't have to pay back.
>> Well, when you're subsidizing
developers, essentially that's corporate
welfare. these programs help uh the ones
that Molly discussed help people on the
lower end of of the income scale.
Personally, I I've got issues with both
though. I I think that government
involvement in home mortgages is has um
distorted the market. and someone who
spent most of his life as a you know
commercial real estate lender.
>> Uh I I don't think it's a legitimate um
a legitimate function of government to
to have taxpayers taking the risk for
homeowners. But this market has been
distorted particularly since World War
II with uh VA loans. You know men women
came back from World War II. you know,
they we had just come out of a
depression, you know, during the war at
the beginning of the war and uh you
know, they they deserved some help, you
know, after, you know, serving our
country, defending our our country, but
they distorted the market. And when you
have secondary markets um that exist
now, a secondary market is when if let's
say you're a bank and you make a loan,
then you sell that loan to somebody
else. I think that's a lot of people's
big critique is that we don't have the
same traditional banking and mortgage
system we had after World War II.
>> We don't. And it it actually increases
the risk because if I'm originating a
loan and I can sell it to somebody else,
I can make a bad loan and I can I can
sell it to another guy.
>> Well, didn't we just see this in 2008?
>> Well, we did. That was a little bit more
complicated because then you were
dealing with mortgage back securities
where they would take a pool of
mortgages
mortgages
>> and in in many cases yes the the
subprime loans and then sell those and
the the mortgages would and the
underlying real estate would be the
collateral for issuance of a security.
What are you are you suggesting that as
goodnatured and and good intented as as
these programs are, they're actually
pushing an artificial balloon of of
making housing less affordable for those
who would have otherwise had affordable
housing.
>> There's there's no question about it in
my mind and I I don't think most people
fully understand the extent of the risk
that our entire banking system is
taking. For instance, you know, a lot of
the people will remember the savings and
loan crisis back in the early 80s. I
was, you know, dead dab smack in the
middle of that back in Texas.
>> It was you.
>> Well, I I never made I never made a loan
that was foreclosed. I can tell you
that. I'm very very proud of that.
Didn't make as many loans as the other
guys did, but you know, the the asset
quality was very good.
>> But the the that's never been paid for.
We are still paying for that and we'll
be paying for that and our children and
grandchildren will be paying for that.
Again, it gets back to a loan originator
selling that loan or that pool of loans
on the secondary market and the asset
quality is poor and you wind up in
foreclosure.
>> And that's the thing too that this
discussion of housing, it's to some
extent it's it's the same in the the
problem. But when we talk about the
developer subsidies, what's crazy about
that whole scenario is that that doesn't
even have anything to do with with even
the possibility of home ownership. It's
often for rentals.
>> Yeah. So, you're not even getting to
that point, right?
>> Well, that's exactly what I want to ask
you. I I want to ask you
>> from a political standpoint, why does it
seem like our our current county
executive, our former mayor of Salsbury,
why are they so quick to align with
these developer subsidies? And then
you're looking at like candidates like
Megan Alton who's thrown her hat in the
ring for
>> county council.
>> Why are they so quick to do this? Why
why is this able to be such a political
football to their advantage?
>> Well, I mean, I think you got to follow
the money. That's one thing. I think
some of those candidates and call it
currently elected officials. Um, they
have campaign finance reports that
answer some of that. I think also part
of it to be honest from my perspective
is just there's a lack of originality
too. People look at the grants and the
grant block system as a lifeline, which
it often is. But what that also does is
it puts people in a very subservient
role. So that you you find yourself, you
know, giving this kind of almost
imperial um authority to a group of
developers who often don't actually do
anything on the back end. Because look,
you know, I come from a family of
construction folks. like they'll tell
you right away. You know, builders make
their money and developers on the front
end, right? That's what they do. And
then they're going to do what they're
going to do. As we talked about in a
recent episode with Trish Melvin about
all the development that's happening in
Fruitland without the subsidy programs.
So, you're going to have building and
theoretically, if you believe in market
forces, there's going to be a need for
it and there will be an equilibrium. I
don't necessarily agree with that, but
but but let's say that's true. We're
doing to Mike's point, we're really
tipping the scales and we're not even
getting home ownership at the back end.
We're getting at best luxury rentals for
some and we're getting other facilities
that are unattainable for others. We've
been following these programs for years,
right? More than a decade. So, what's
the result?
>> We haven't solved we haven't we haven't
really made a dent in any of our
affordability issues. In fact,
>> it's gotten worse.
>> It's gotten worse. Even though we
technically according to certain people
that follow the former mayor and a few
other people's policies, I say, "Well,
we built all these all these units."
Okay. Well, go ask anybody. Anybody
living in Wakcomo County and the city of
Salsbury, are things more affordable?
Are those programs more affordable? Are
people's rates for water and sewer that
they have to pay? Have they gotten more
affordable despite all of these promises
we were sold? And everybody knows the
answer to that question.
>> Yeah. So why does it feel like both
Democrats and Republicans, current
candidates, current or former
>> future ones maybe? Why does it feel like
they're all kind of speaking the same
jargon? Is this a uni party system?
>> Because they all serve the same masters.
>> Okay,
>> that's that's my viewpoint.
>> Well, thank you gentlemen. I appreciate
your insight.
>> Sure. Thank you.
>> Thanks for watching this episode of Open
Agenda. We'll be back later this week
with another new episode.
Stay still. Sit on your hands. Tractor.
Tractor's hard.
On the Friday, Oct. 24 edition of OPEN AGENDA (S2 E61) we discuss affordable housing with our guest, Molly Hilligoss, the president/CEO of Habitat for Humanity Wicomico County. Ms. Hilligoss walks us through the various programs designed to help low-income families with buying a home, as well as programs to assist existing homeowners with critical renovations. These various programs are largely funded through government subsidies, tax deferments, donations, and even a bit of “sweat equity.” Habitat is also pursuing creative means of financing to reduce principal & interest payments, such as 40-year mortgages. Home ownership has become increasingly out-of-reach for too many families, and Habitat for Humanity has undoubtedly done great good in communities across America. But the lack of affordable housing may be attributable to market and economic distortions created by the government's involvement in home mortgages. We question whether it's a legitimate function of government to provide funding, guarantees, subsidies and secondary markets for mortgages, and examine the risks to our banking system thereby created.
It's no secret that Maryland -and by extension Wicomico County- is facing an epic crisis of affordable housing that keeps getting worse. We examine what is happening, what’s not happening, and what should happen with regard to housing access across Wicomico County. Please note the timestamps below and consider sharing this episode on an issue that affects all of us in the community:
1:24 Introducing Molly Hilligoss
1:56 Habitat's Down Payment Assistance Program
7:33 Rental Cost Increases and Interest Rates
9:19 Homeownership and Lending Challenges
10:31 Habitat for Humanity’s Property Tax Deferment Program
13:00 SBY’s Housing First Program Changes
15:38 Future Housing Challenges
18:10 Chef’s for Habitat Event
20:32 The Albatross of Affordable Housing
21:50 Developers Taking advantage of the Housing Crisis?
22:26 SBY’s and Rental Schemes
23:30 Mike Goldberg’s Mortgage Analysis
26:50 The Political Uniparty of Developer Support
