BALTIMORE, MD  — Mayor Brandon M. Scott joined several funders today to announce $9,650,000 in funding support to continue the Housing Upgrades to Benefit Seniors (HUBS) initiative. The initiative provides home modifications, repairs, and wraparound services for older adult homeowners.

“The HUBS collaborative approach towards helping Baltimore homeowners age in place is a great example of city government working efficiently to improve the well-being of our older adults,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “This $3.5 million investment from Baltimore City combined with additional support from committed partners will allow seniors to age independently within the comfort and security of their own communities.”

Created in 2015, HUBS brings together a network of Baltimore organizations with a shared mission of helping adult homeowners age in place. By consolidating the efforts of multiple organizations, HUBS creates efficiencies in referral, intake, and application procedures. The initiative ensures that clients are matched with the correct services and eliminates redundancies so that a greater number of older adults can live in homes that are safe, healthy, and comfortable.

Funding sources include $3 million from Baltimore's Affordable Housing Trust Fund for senior homeownership repair and homeownership preservation; $500,000 from the City’s capital budget; $4.5 million from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation; $1.2 million from the Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Foundation; and $450,000 from Keswick.

“We anticipate being able to serve more than 1,500 older adult homes with this funding,” said Acting Housing Commissioner Alice Kennedy. “This is also one of the most cost-effective means to prevent blight and vacancies, reduce homelessness, and minimize displacement.”

The following nine nonprofits in Baltimore City will provide services for this round of HUBS funding: Banner Neighborhoods; CHAI: Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc.; Civic Works; Green and Healthy Homes; Keswick Community Health; Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland; Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore; Rebuilding Together Baltimore; Ambrose Housing Aid Center.

“Every older adult requires services and supports tailored to their individual needs,” said Earl Millett, Program Director at The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.  “And no single nonprofit can provide the right combination of services to each person. HUBS is a collaborative model that utilizes a coordinated network of agencies to address the full spectrum of social determinants of health within Baltimore’s older population. Home modifications and repairs are among the highest priorities. The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation’s Trustees are pleased to make this $4.5M capital investment, in addition to the $8.5M in past funding since 2017, which has improved the lives of more than 2,000 older adults and their families.”

“The Stulman Foundation supports HUBS because it works," said Cathy Brill, Executive Director of the Stulman Foundation. "The program finds and helps older adults in need of home repair and modification, helps fix their homes, and connects them with other services they need. By working closely together, the nonprofits and the city Department of Housing take the burden of navigating the system of home repair off the older adult.  Expanding this program is a great investment of public and philanthropic dollars.  That's why the Stulman Foundation is pleased to make this new $1.2 million program investment, on top of the $2.8 million we've contributed since 2015.”

“Keswick welcomes the opportunity to partner with Baltimore City, the Stulman Foundation, the Weinberg Foundation and the other HUBS Coalition partners to assist vulnerable older people in our community to maintain their homes and to access additional resources in support of their overall health and well-being,” said Maria Johnson Darby, Chief Operating Officer of Keswick. "As Keswick Community Health has continued to expand throughout Baltimore, it is partnerships like this that help us further our mission to serve older adults in Baltimore City so they can remain living in their homes, doing the things they love for as long as possible."

To be eligible for HUBS, homeowners must be 65 years or older and meet income requirements, which vary by the number of members in the household and area median income calculations. In general, clients are adults who are living independently (alone or with family members) but who are facing challenges with repairing and living safely in their home and who do not have resources to fix it themselves. 

Senior homeowners in Baltimore interested in the HUBS program can contact the HUBS Hotline for intake at 443-470-9871.  HUBS is also accepting referrals through the City of Baltimore’s Department of Housing & Community Development Neighborly online application portal.

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