Hallie Miller

4 days ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Hallie Miller |Emily Opilo |Greg Morton

In April,on a mostly vacant block in East Baltimore, a small crowd gathered to celebrate 21 badly blighted rowhomes being converted into a mix of for-sale housing and off-street parking lots. More than a month later, the shovels have yet to hit the ground on Mura Steet, the compact block in Johnston Square where a handful of homeowners and renters await their long-promised next chapter. ReBUILD Metro, the developer leading the neighborhood’s transformation, is still waiting for its permits.

1 week ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Hallie Miller |Emily Opilo

After the first Keswick Road fire in October, neighbors mourned the married couple lost to the flames and vowed to rebuild. Since then, three more unexplained fires have broken out, each one wreaking renewed havoc on the stretch of attached rowhomes. Now, neighbors aren’t sure what to think. The block includes a mix of longtime homeowners and newcomers just around the corner from the beloved Miracle on 34th Street holiday display. Young and old have been rattled by each blaze.

3 weeks ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Emily Opilo |Hallie Miller

Baltimore leaders introduced a package of bills Monday aimed at making homes easier to build and rehabilitate as the city undertakes an ambitious effort to turn the tide on its thousands of vacant homes. The legislation, engineered by several members of the City Council and endorsed by Mayor Brandon Scott, would roll back restrictions on development density, allow people to build closer to their property lines, and do away with requirements for off-street parking if approved.

1 month ago | thebaltimorebanner.com | Hallie Miller

For the fifth consecutive year, Mayor Brandon Scott’s administration has pulled owner-occupied properties off the tax sale list, sparing debtors with low incomes from potentially losing their homes. The mayor’s directive applies to households with appraised values at or below $250,000 as of Jan. 1, which Scott’s office said encompasses the majority of homeowners at risk of having their liens purchased — and potentially losing their homes — during the annual tax sale.

1 month ago | wypr.org | Hallie Miller

The number of people using Baltimore’s emergency shelter system for overnight stays has doubled in the last two years, the latest city data shows, and Baltimore’s homeless services director is pointing the blame at two main culprits: A loss of funding designed to prevent evictions and the soaring costs of renting and owning a home. More people in Baltimore experienced homelessness for the first time in 2024 compared to the year before, the data shows.