Organizational Structure
The Department is led by the Office of the Secretary and organized into programmatic divisions and offices that deliver programs and services to support its mission.
As a state agency, the Department does not oversee local county or municipal housing departments. Instead, it partners with local governments, nonprofits, and other stakeholders to support housing and community development efforts across Maryland.
Office of the Secretary
The Office of the Secretary provides leadership, policy direction, and resources to ensure the Department accomplishes its mission. It supervises and coordinates the Department’s activities, approves all revenue bonds issued by the Community Development Administration for housing and local infrastructure projects, and provides Department-wide coordination.
Units within the Office of the Secretary
- Office of Public Affairs
The Office of Public Affairs leads on communicating and promoting the initiatives, services, and impact of the Department, ensuring that the public is well-informed, engaged, and supportive of the Department’s work to enhance community development and housing opportunities across the state. The Office includes Communications, Marketing, Community Engagement and Customer Service, and Web and User Experience teams. - Office of Procurement
The Office of Procurement leads the Department staff in the process of acquiring goods and/or services, while promoting fair and open competition for businesses and minimizing risk under the guidelines and regulations issued by the State. - Office of Human Resources
The Office of Human Resources collaborates with all the Department’s divisions and offices to maximize the potential of our greatest asset - our employees. The Office focuses on recruiting, developing, compensating and retaining a talented and highly skilled workforce to better serve the citizens of Maryland. Office of Internal Audit
The Office of Internal Audit assists DHCD in providing quality reviews of its programs by assessing their efficiency and effectiveness and by evaluating compliance with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and policies. The office conducts these reviews in accordance with the Institute of Internal Auditors Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. The office also conducts investigations of fraud, waste, and abuse to validate the proper use of State resources.The Department also includes the Offices of Fair Practices, Information Technology, and Operations and Administration.
Division of Policy, Strategy and Research
The Division of Policy, Strategy, and Research coordinates strategic planning, data analysis and reporting, and policy development and advocacy. By bringing together the building blocks necessary for data-driven decision-making and prioritization, the Division serves as a "think tank" inside of DHCD that is responsible for tracking and vetting best-practice models and policy recommendations from advocates and stakeholders. The Division also plays a leading role in grantseeking as well as compliance requirements related to federal grants and allocations, such as the Consolidated Plan. The Division includes the Office of Legislative Affairs, Office of Policy Development and Office of Research and Compliance, as well as the Special Assistant to the Secretary.
Division of Just Communities
The Division of Just Communities is responsible for developing, implementing, and accelerating strategies to lift up communities that have experienced historical and ongoing socio-economic marginalization. The Department created the Division of Just Communities in 2023 to prioritize resources in areas that need it the most based on historical disinvestment to right the wrongs of the past.
Division of Development Finance / Community Development Administration
The Department of Housing and Community Development’s Division of Development Finance, also known as the Community Development Administration, is the housing finance agency for the State of Maryland. The Community Development Administration’s primary financing sources are municipal bonds and State-appropriated funds. The Community Development Administration comprises four branches: Multifamily Housing, Single Family Housing, Whole Home Energy and Repairs, and Finance.
More About CDA’s Four Branches
Multifamily Housing expands quality, affordable rental and transitional housing opportunities for Marylanders by financing the development, rehabilitation, and preservation of rental communities and transitional housing.
Single Family Housing provides homebuyer assistance programs by offering mortgage loans and down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible homebuyers with low-to moderate-income and programs to rehabilitate single family housing to improve livability.
Whole Home Energy and Repairs helps Marylanders make critical repairs and enhancements to your home that can lower families’ monthly utility bill and help you maintain a safe, comfortable and accessible home.
Finance raises capital in the national municipal bond markets to provide financing at below-market interest rates for individuals to purchase single family homes, for nonprofit and for-profit entities to construct and rehabilitate multifamily properties, and for local governments to improve and construct public infrastructure.
Division of Credit Assurance
The Division of Credit Assurance helps manage and protect the Department’s investments in people and places that support DHCD’s mission. The Division monitors compliance and risk, and oversees the stability and collection of loans, for the majority of affordable housing projects, business developments and single family homeowner opportunities financed by or through DHCD.
Division of Neighborhood Revitalization
The Division of Neighborhood Revitalization works with local partners to bring new investment and vitality to Maryland’s core communities. Neighborhood Revitalization’s range of grant and technical assistance programs help local governments and community development organizations reinvest in their communities and make great places for Marylanders to live, work and thrive.
Division of Homeless Solutions
The Division of Homeless Solutions is responsible for leading the state's interagency strategy, policy, and initiatives to prevent and end homelessness for all Marylanders. This vital work includes leading the Maryland Interagency Council on Homelessness and facilitating cross-sector collaborations with government, nonprofit, philanthropic, and other strategic partners. The Division administers grant funds and technical assistance to local governments and nonprofits that are delivering critical safety net programs in their communities.
The Division also serves as the HUD-designated lead agency for the Balance of State Continuum of Care, coordinating funding, data collection, performance management, client assessment, and housing referral systems in counties across the state.
Division of Business Development
Office of Statewide Broadband
The Office of Statewide Broadband’s mission is to ensure that every Marylander has equal access and the necessary skills to leverage digital resources, technologies, and opportunities, regardless of their background, location, or abilities. To help accomplish this goal, the state partners with the private sector and local jurisdictions to reduce, and eventually eliminate, the number of communities and residents underserved by the current digital divide.
Division of Finance
The Division of Finance oversees the financial management and central support services of the Department, providing financial, analytical, internal review and reporting; preparing and managing operating and capital budgets; accounting for the Department’s expenditures and revenues for budgetary and grant accounting; as well as preparing audited financial statements for the Maryland Housing Fund and the State-funded loan and grant programs.