Elected leaders are honing their attention on Prince George’s County, where the loss of federal jobs and contracts is hitting hardest in the wealthiest majority-Black communities in the nation.
Rising home foreclosures are raising major concerns, and county officials are working to prevent Prince George’s from once again becoming ground zero, as it was during the 2008 subprime lending crisis.
District 6 Councilmember Wala Blegay (D) hopes to draw national attention to the issue during a town hall at the upcoming 54th Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference. She is inviting federal workers and contractors in Prince George’s who “are facing attacks from the Trump administration, leading to layoffs that are affecting families in our community” to attend and share their stories.
Blegay said she and her colleagues are working with nonprofit partners to provide support, and she has launched a questionnaire for residents to share their experiences with layoffs and request needed services.
County Council Chair Edward Burroughs III (District 8) scheduled a workshop this week in partnership with Strategic Housing Solutions to “help keep residents in their homes.” According to Burroughs, Prince George’s County led Maryland in foreclosure filings in the first quarter of 2025, with 836—over 25% of the state’s total.
In July, Maryland ranked third in the nation in foreclosure activity, with one in every 2,566 homes impacted, according to ATTOM.
Further, District 8 communities, such as Oxon Hill, Temple Hills, and Fort Washington, remain foreclosure hotspots, according to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.
“These figures are nothing short of alarming,” Burroughs said. “With our county feeling the brunt of the Trump administration’s federal workforce reduction, more Prince Georgians are in danger of losing their homes.”
Leaders from Prince George’s County— which used to be first in the U.S. for the wealthiest majority Black locale until Charles County surpassed it in 2022— are right to sound the alarm.
If Prince George’s is to avoid repeating the devastation of 2008, homeowners must act quickly.
We commend Blegay, Burroughs, and others for organizing town halls and workshops to confront this crisis.
Help is available, but it starts with reaching out before foreclosure begins.
Protecting homes means protecting families, neighborhoods, and the legacy of one of the nation’s wealthiest majority-Black counties.