Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced Wednesday that he has appointed Alice Kennedy as the city’s new housing commissioner.

“I’ve come to rely on her expertise, community relationships, and genuine commitment to bringing the best out of Baltimore’s neighborhoods,” Scott said in a statement.

Kennedy has been serving as acting head of the Department of Housing and Community Development since last year after then Mayor Jack Young fired the previous housing commissioner Michael Braverman.

At the time, Kennedy told WYPR that Braverman’s firing took her by surprise. She was then serving as deputy commissioner of the Division of Homeownership and Housing Preservation.

But she said she and DHCD have been able to adjust “without any major blips in the road.”

“I'm extremely excited to serve with Mayor Scott and to help realize his vision for a more equitable Baltimore,” she said. “I've been really grateful to have an amazing team and an amazing senior leadership team within the agency.”

Kennedy said she’ll hire someone to fill the newly created position of equity officer. The job, she said, is “100% dedicated to equity work within the agency and our work within the community.”

She said she’ll focus on viewing housing through a health lens. Among her immediate priorities will be getting pandemic relief to tenants facing eviction, and supporting existing homeowners and legacy residents. Kennedy added that Oct. 1 is a key deadline for homeowners and legacy residents to apply for homeowners’ tax credit.