Bright Bulb: Hopkins’ helping hands
What? Something positive in the world of personal finance? It’s true — Johns Hopkins is offering financial aid to employees looking to buy homes in the area surrounding the university’s Homewood campus. Employees can apply for up to $17,000 in aid. Not only is Hopkins helping boost the community by moving people into downtrodden areas, but it’s helping the environment as well by cutting employee commute times.
OUTRAGE: Landlords who illegally evict renters
• What: The number of complaints of illegal eviction in Baltimore City is up 75 percent from last year — and that’s not due to an enforcement crackdown either.
• Why they are doing it: Landlords cannot legally evict a tenant themselves — they must file a complaint in court and wait for a sheriff to do the actual eviction. Unfortunately, it seems that some landlords are getting fed up with due process and taking matters into their own hands. And they’re probably hoping the renter won’t know how to fight back. What are the odds that someone who can’t pay his rent is going to hire a lawyer?
• Why it’s a bad idea: We’re all suffering during this economic downturn — but that’s no excuse to break the law, especially when you’re hurting people who have a hard time fighting back.
• Where to vent: baltimorehousing.org/index/insp_cels.asp
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Quote of the day
“It makes me very nervous to think that when applying for a job, I could be up against someone who has already put in five years with one of the big companies, such as Lehman Brothers. … In all, it is very nerve-racking to see my future industry come apart like this.” – Katelyn Wells, a 20-year-old senior and business administration major at the University of Baltimore
