[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 14 (Tuesday, January 24, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  HONORING THE NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING SERVICES OF BALTIMORE ON ITS 21ST 
                                BIRTHDAY

                                 ______


                        HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 24, 1995
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Neighborhood 
Housing Services of Baltimore on its 21st birthday. This outstanding 
organization is dedicated on helping low- and moderate-income residents 
of Baltimore become first-time homeowners. I also want to take this 
opportunity to extend my best wishes to John R. McGinn, an 
inspirational leader who is retiring as NHS chairman.
  The NHS has an impressive record. It has been involved in 
rehabilitating more than 620 vacant houses and has helped convert more 
than 900 renters into first-time home buyers. Since 1974, NHS has been 
an important force in providing adequate housing in the neighborhoods 
of Govans, Coppin Heights, Patterson Park, and Irvington/St. Joseph/
Carroll. In addition, since 1993 NHS has instituted the Closing Cost 
Loan Program to provide from $500 to $5,000 in loans to help 
prospective home buyers with settlement and closing costs. They have 
successfully used $300,000 of NHS capital to leverage more than $4 
million in conventional financing.
  Much of this could not be accomplished without the help and advise of 
John McGinn, who has been a dedicated and inspired chairman of the NHS 
board for the past 3 years. In the past decade, in addition to being 
chairman, John McGinn has given many hours of this time serving on 
different NHS boards. His advice and professionalism has been a big 
part of NHS's success and its branching out into new projects.
  I hope that my colleagues will also join my fellow Baltimoreans and 
me in congratulating NHS and John McGinn on a job well done. Our 
housing crisis is very serious, but the efforts of NHS and John McGinn 
have done much to help others realize their dream of home ownership.


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