Janet Abrahams
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Housing Authority of Baltimore City’s (HABC) President and CEO, Janet Abrahams, has had a career in public housing administration that spans more than 20 years. She has played key roles in developing innovative approaches to improving affordable housing communities and the quality of life for their residents.
She has served at three large housing authorities, including the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), the Newark Housing Authority (NHA), and, most recently, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest housing authority in the nation prior to stepping into the leadership position at HABC.
Since joining HABC nine years ago, Abrahams has elevated the agency internally and externally. The Perkins, Somerset, Old Town (PSO) Transformation Plan is one of the most notable initiatives, which was kicked off to transform neighborhoods of extreme poverty into sustainable, thriving, mixed-income communities in 2017. HABC obtained the Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) grant worth $30 million plus an additional $10 million, which assisted with funding critical improvements in the PSO community, assets, including vacant property, housing, services, the Facade Improvement Program (FIG) for some existing commercial properties, public art, gateway markers, unique park elements, and a new grocery store to support a safe, thriving neighborhood. Once completed, the entire CNI housing transformation will be in nine phases, with four at Somerset and five at Perkins Homes — please note, five out of the nine phases have been completed, and two of the nine phases are 100% occupied!
On September 10, 2018, Abrahams announced that the agency received a $1.3 million Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop another transformation plan for Poe Homes and the Poppleton/Hollins Market neighborhood. This Transformation Plan has already begun and will revolve around the redevelopment of 288 public housing units.
HABC’s investments in affordable housing provided $9 billion in economic impact for Baltimore and Maryland over a six-year period. HABC’s housing programs and community investments generate jobs across industries, including construction, transportation, healthcare, retail, and many others. Studies have shown that safe, decent, affordable housing offers tangible household-level benefits for its residents and positive effects for surrounding neighbors. Affordable housing is a central determinant to improved household outcomes in economic mobility, development and health. Affordable housing is associated with increases in neighborhood quality and property values.
HABC is doing its part to improve our communities!
Abrahams also initiated a ten-year strategic plan, a platform that HABC uses to shift away from traditional programs. Programs like the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) and other initiatives have been implemented to address this imbalance and leverage the funding necessary to preserve deeply affordable housing. Over one-third of HABC's public housing portfolio within the next few years will be converted to private ownership through RAD.
Due to Abraham’s progressive approach to improving the image of affordable housing, HABC was the first Baltimore City agency to utilize the new digital billboards and kiosks that spread throughout the city of Baltimore!
Although Abrahams and her team have met the milestones set by HABC, they do not intend to stop, as similar projects and initiatives are currently in progress!
