{"id":13525,"date":"2026-03-31T16:05:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/?p=13525"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:06:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T20:06:07","slug":"maryland-department-of-housing-and-community-development-kicks-off-new-day-trips-community-connections-series-in-frederick-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/2026\/03\/31\/maryland-department-of-housing-and-community-development-kicks-off-new-day-trips-community-connections-series-in-frederick-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Kicks Off New Day Trips: Community Connections Series in Frederick County"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><b>MIDDLETOWN, Md. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(March 31, 2026) &#8211; Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day hosted a series of roundtable discussions with community leaders in Frederick County on Tuesday to start the Department\u2019s latest series of county tours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The visit was part of DHCD\u2019s newest Day Trips: Community Connections tour series, a new phase of the Department\u2019s broader Day Trips initiative. While the first round of Day Trips focused on visiting every county in Maryland to tour projects and hear from local officials and partners, this next phase is designed to create more focused conversations with community and civic partners closest to the work in housing, community revitalization, homeless solutions and business development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tuesday\u2019s visit was centered on three roundtable discussions in Middletown and Emmitsburg that allowed Department staff and local leaders to collaborate around these goals:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Strengthening coordination among Department leaders and local service providers to identify homelessness, address service gaps and policy challenges along with aligning local efforts with state housing stability priorities,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Examining barriers to building housing in Frederick and brainstorming potential solutions,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Discussing long-term housing and community development goals for Emmitsburg and Mount St. Mary\u2019s University.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">During the Mount St. Mary\u2019s University roundtable, Secretary Day presented a check celebrating the Department\u2019s investment in the School of Health Professions, which received $1 million through a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dhcd.maryland.gov\/Communities\/Pages\/StateRevitalizationPrograms\/seed.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Seed Community Development Anchor Institution Fund grant<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and opened in fall 2025. The grant supported Mount St. Mary\u2019s University and the Daughters of Charity to turn a then underutilized wing of the Daughters\u2019 St. Joseph House in Emmitsburg into the university\u2019s School of Health Professions, which is now home to a physician assistant program and a pediatric behavior health center.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Department staff also visited Middletown Main Street, a Designated Main Street and participant in the Main Street Maryland program since 2008. The tour visited Memorial Hall, a building vacant for decades before being rehabilitated into new apartments and retail space through support from the Department\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dhcd.maryland.gov\/Communities\/Pages\/programs\/CL.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Community Legacy Program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and the town\u2019s Welcome Center, a recipient of the Department\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/dhcd.maryland.gov\/Communities\/pages\/programs\/citc.aspx\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Community Investment Tax Credits Program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe best way to learn how we can help Marylanders is by meeting them in their communities,\u201d<\/span><b> said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cToday\u2019s discussions with our partners and local organization leaders provided us with valuable information on how DHCD can ensure we leave no one behind in Frederick County.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here\u2019s what community partners had to say about the visit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cAddressing today\u2019s housing challenges requires more than any one organization can accomplish alone\u2014it demands strong, sustained partnership. The collective conversation today with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development leaders reinforced that when local experience is aligned with state-level resources and strategy, we can move further, faster. By working together, we have a powerful opportunity to expand access to safe, affordable housing while strengthening and revitalizing the communities we serve.\u201d <\/span><b>\u2013 Eric Anderson, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Frederick County<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cBy working as a team, we do more than provide housing\u2014we develop trust, restore dignity, create stability, and build a robust community where everyone has a place to call home.\u201d<\/span><b> \u2013 Maria D. Herrera, Executive Director, Spanish Speaking Community of Maryland Inc. (La Comunidad)<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;We are always happy to host DHCD in Middletown and we love showing the team the finished products of DHCD grant funded projects that have helped grow convert Middletown from a charming small town to a must-visit destination to dine, shop, and explore our rich history, and surrounding agricultural roots.&#8221; <\/span><b>\u2013 Becky Axilbund, Executive Director, Main Street Middletown, MD. Inc.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cStrong communities are not built in isolation, they are built through collaboration. Addressing housing affordability and expanding attainable homeownership opportunities in Frederick County requires partnership across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. When we align our efforts, we create not just housing, but pathways to stability, economic mobility, and long-term community vitality. It truly takes a collective commitment to ensure Frederick remains a place where individuals and families at all stages of life can find a place to call home.\u201d <\/span><b>\u2013 Hugh Gordon, CEO, Frederick County Association of REALTORS<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe\u2019re proud to partner with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and local leaders in Frederick County to advance practical, community-centered housing solutions. Strong collaboration is what drives real progress\u2014strengthening neighborhoods, preserving what matters, and expanding opportunities for residents. We look forward to continuing this work in Frederick and across Maryland.\u201d <\/span><b>\u2013 Max Friedman, VP of Portfolio Preservation, Conifer Realty<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cTrue progress is never a solo endeavor; it is the result of forces working together. At this morning\u2019s meeting in Middletown, Maryland, under the leadership of Secretary Jake Day, we are seeing this principle in action\u2014fostering partnerships across the state to create lasting solutions, reminding us that by united effort, we can turn ambitious affordable housing initiatives into reality.\u201d <\/span><b>\u2013 Stephen Wilson, SCG Development<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cSecretary Day and his team understand the growing gap between wages and escalating cost of housing. The conversation today gave voice to some of the reasons why costs are growing so quickly, and identified strategies to help reduce those costs.\u201d <\/span><b>\u2013 Ken Oldham, United Way of Frederick County<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cEmmitsburg is grateful to Secretary Day and the DHCD team for the opportunity to discuss the challenging realities of downtown revitalization, infrastructure investment, and future housing and development in our town. We, as a Town, remain committed to preserving our character, supporting local businesses, and creating a lovable place for current and future residents. We appreciate the State\u2019s interest in learning about our community and partnering with us as we plan for the future.\u201d <\/span><b>\u2013 Mayor Frank Davis, Town of Emmitsburg<\/b><\/p>\n<p><br style=\"font-weight: 400\" \/><br style=\"font-weight: 400\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MIDDLETOWN, Md. (March 31, 2026) &#8211; Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day hosted a series of roundtable discussions with community leaders in Frederick County on Tuesday to start the Department\u2019s latest series of county tours. The visit was part of DHCD\u2019s newest Day Trips: Community Connections tour series, a new phase<a href=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/2026\/03\/31\/maryland-department-of-housing-and-community-development-kicks-off-new-day-trips-community-connections-series-in-frederick-county\/\">&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the Rest&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":242,"featured_media":13527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[295,121,20,26,301,33,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-day-trip","category-homelessness","category-main-street-maryland","category-neighborhood-revitalization","category-policy-and-research","category-press-releases","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/242"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13525"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13529,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13525\/revisions\/13529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/dhcd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}