Baltimore City Launches New Initiative To Help Poor Avoid Homelessness

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

Baltimore City Mayor Brandon M. Scott recently announced a new partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS), the Baltimore City Department of Social Services (BCDSS) and other local non-profits that will help families avoid homelessness.

Amid ongoing federal government cutbacks that increasingly aim to defund and penalize homeless citizens, studies show homelessness continues to hurt Blacks more. However, Scott stood before cameras and microphones on Dec. 4 and told reporters the City of Baltimore will help homeless people.

Restorations Gardens 1, a 44-unit development and the Geraldine Young Family Life Center, a 12-unit housing site operated by the YMCA of Central Maryland, will provide shelter to vulnerable residents. This means the Baltimore City Department of Social Services and other local non-profits plan to offer a helping hand to residents facing or experiencing homelessness.

The agreement for these services runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029, with one-year renewal options to follow.

“Every young person in Baltimore deserves a safe place to call home and the support they need to thrive,” Scott explained in a recent press release. “Tackling youth homelessness is not just about housing – it’s about dignity, opportunity, and giving our young people the foundation to build a better future.”

Specifically, the Housing Authority of Baltimore City will now provide housing vouchers while Homes for America, a non-profit housing development corporation, will use an American Rescue Plan Act grant from Baltimore City and the state to renovate the units where youth will live. Restoration Gardens 1 opened in 2010. The 12-unit Geraldine Young Family Life Center operated by the YWCA of Central Maryland will fund case management for youths that it and the city will oversee and manage via contracted services.

Donald Eaddy, vice president of youth development and community health at the YMCA in Central Maryland said he is “thrilled” about Baltimore’s new anti-homelessness partnership.

“These funds will allow us to reduce barriers for individuals seeking to maintain stable housing in Baltimore City and help ensure that our communities continue to thrive,” said Eaddy.

At a time when homelessness has increased under the current administration, due to a wave of laws that punish people for sleeping outside instead of ending exorbitant housing and rent costs, Baltimore’s newly announced program aims to decrease homelessness. Numerous reports show the real problem is rent is not keeping pace with wages, experts say.

In fact, hostile homelessness policies were the topic at a Nov. 20 hearing hosted by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) at the University of Miami. Rising rents that cause people to spend more than 30 percent or a third of their income on rent is the real culprit, in other words.

The University of Miami’s School of Law hosted a seminar from Nov. 16-21 where experts gathered from around the world to discuss the state of democratic institutions, migration, racial justice, gender justice, environmental rights and housing inequality.

Experts said that while housing costs in the USA are rising, federal support is shrinking.

Advocates at the hearing said federal housing programs have faced repeated cuts. Homeless people have fewer options as rent continues to skyrocket while wages remain stagnant.

Plus the current ongoing effort to penalize homeless individuals is not actually reducing homelessness. Multiple state laws including laws in Kentucky show homeless individuals can face up to six years in prison.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, homelessness is primarily driven by housing costs and low wages, with a significant number of residents struggling to afford housing. As a result, varied data show Virginia ranks 16th to 18th in the U.S. when it comes to wages and rent. The average Fair Market Rent price for a two-bedroom apartment in Virginia is around $1,573. This means the average family in Virginia must earn at least $62,925 annually to avoid paying more than 30 percent of income on housing.

As the hearing wrapped up, a homelessness panelist said, “We know what it takes to end homelessness.” He said, “Homes.”