Homeless Shelter Shift Proves Crime Free — Ron Kipling Williams

Although local residents were worried about the potential for violence at the two temporary shelters that opened on July 2nd in East and West Baltimore, all has been quiet on both fronts. “There have been no incidents reported by police regarding the homeless shelters,” said Baltimore Homeless Services President Diane Glauber. As a matter of fact, the operation has been working like clockwork, according to Glauber, pointing to the Office of Emergency Management who handles the staging of the busing and supportive services.

Homeless persons are instructed to assemble at 6 p.m. under the Fallsway, in the parking lot where the weekend farmers’ market is held. The Salvation Army arrives by between 6:45 and 7:00 p.m. to distribute food, after which time homeless persons board the yellow school buses that transport them to both facilities. The buses arrive between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. The homeless go on the buses to their designated sleeping area, set up their cots, receive comfort kits of mini-toiletries, if needed, eat sandwiches and snacks provided by a volunteer staff, take smoke breaks and prepare for bed. Lights are out generally around 10 p.m.

The temporary residents rise by 4:45 a.m. around the time the buses arrive, break down their cots, clean their area, while volunteer staff clean every part of the facility that was used. The homeless board the buses and are headed back to the Fallsway by 6 a.m. They then walk across the street to Our Daily Bread where they are given breakfast. The center also provides them with job training, case management, access to mental health treatment, educational and other services, in coordination with organizations like Beans and Bread and My Sister’s Place.

The temporary shelters opened after the closure on March 31st of the 300-resident Code Blue shelter that was located on 1600 Guilford Avenue—which was only open for three months—followed by its transfer to the 1001 East Fayette Street shelter, which closed on June 30th. According to the Baltimore City Police Department, violent crime in the area around 1600 Guilford Ave. went down by 30 percent while the shelter was located there. The four-month temporary shelters will be closed in the fall, and the populations will be moved to a 24-hour shelter located downtown, the exact address to be disclosed at a community meeting to be held by The Department of Housing, after a preliminary meeting on August 13th. This 24-hour shelter will be open for one year until a new permanent facility opens November 2009. It will be located cattycorner from Our Daily Bread at 620 Fallsway, which is being vacated by the Department of Transportation. It will be gutted out and renovated, and when completed will house 250 single individuals, both male and female.

Meanwhile, the Guilford Avenue building has undergone renovations and will open next month as the Baltimore Montessori School for grades K–4, a new grade being added every year until it reaches the middle school level. The Family Resource Center, a housing and supportive services facility, located on 1114 North Mount Street in West Baltimore, which opened on April 1st, will remain an open to 75 women and children.