Baltimore City advocates call on lawmakers to make homeless shelters safer, more effective
BALTIMORE - Homeless advocates are calling for changes in Baltimore City's homeless shelters and hotels, stating in-house procedures and rules are further traumatizing those who are unhoused and putting them back on the streets.
The city acquired two hotels in 2024 to use as emergency shelters to respond to the housing crisis and expand services for those experiencing homelessness.:
- The Holiday Inn Express at 221 N. Gay Street
- The Sleep Inn and Suites at 332 N. Front Street
The parking lot between the properties was also purchased for $18 million with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Baltimore leaders, including Mayor Brandon Scott, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 1, 2024, for the acquired hotels. Nearly 6 months later, homeless advocates held a press conference in front of the former hotels calling for immediate action and procedure modifications.
The organizers are Christina Flowers, director of Belvedere Real Care Providers (BRCP) and homeless advocate, and Zulieka Baysmore, advocate and organizer of "The Voice of the Citizens Accountability Movement."
Zulieka Baysmore ran in the 2020 Republican primary for Baltimore mayor and on the Republican nominee for the Maryland House of Delegates to represent District 40 in the 2022 general election.
"It is unacceptable..."
Baysmore said she asked the city to answer the following two questions and has not gotten a response:
- How many people have these two hotels serviced over the past two or three years?
- How many times have those who registered for this shelter ended up back on the street?
During the news conference Friday, organizers said instead of transforming the hotels into alternative and permanent housing, it's a "revolving door" that puts families and individuals experiencing homelessness back on the street, further traumatizing them.
"You have tents a block away from here," said Christina Flowers, Director of Belvedere Real Care Providers (BRCP).
"It is unacceptable when we have put in the money to make resources available. Where is the housing coordinators? Where is the navigation when it comes to once they come in, we navigate them to where they need to be," she asked.
Flowers said outreach, engagement, navigating, and alternative housing are the four steps that need to be taken.
WJZ reached out to the city for comment and according to a statement from the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services (MOHS), the two hotels were purchased with "the primary purpose of awarding the property to a provider-developer that would convert both spaces into permanent supportive housing units (PSH)."
That process has been documented on the MOHS website and awardees have been announced.
"Although the space is currently being utilized in an emergency capacity on, October 4, 2024, the City of Baltimore announced that Episcopal Housing Corporation and Health Care for the Homeless' real estate arm will be awarded both hotel properties for the conversion into permanent supportive housing units which aligns with our data-driven, trauma-informed, and person-centered approach to breaking the cycle of homelessness for residents in need," MOHS said in the statement.
Reports of wrongdoing
Flowers said individuals who work in these shelters need to learn how to work with those experiencing homelessness.
According to Flowers, there have been reports of people suffering, being disrespected, and being talked to poorly. She said she has heard of security guards changing rules and simple disagreements or complaints leading to people being removed from the shelters.
In their statement, the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services said, "Similar to other shelter providers, upon arrival at the properties each resident is provided a copy of the shelter's policies, procedures, and practices which include meeting with each client individually to discuss services offered such as case management, mental health treatment, and additional services and programs to assist their specific needs. Individuals who accept shelter acknowledge understanding the program rules and expectations at each location."
Organizers are asking lawmakers to work with grassroots advocates and providers to pass laws that will hold shelters accountable for how tax dollars are being spent and the efficacy of the work to address homelessness in the city.
