Baltimore must rectify pervasive homelessness

On the first Monday night of intersession, I walked into “Healthcare, Housing, and Homelessness in Baltimore,” with literally no idea what to expect; I had not even enrolled in the class. The friend I had just eaten an early dinner with told me that she was taking this class from six in the evening until eight thirty. Immediately, my adolescent mind recoiled: who wants to be in class that late? But as it turned out, dragging myself there through the cold Baltimore air was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Little did I realize, with the wind whipping my face as we walked to class, just how many people in Baltimore that evening were going to be sleeping in these extreme temperatures.

Poverty and homelessness are not new issues in our country. Despite President Johnson’s enacting a “War on Poverty” in an attempt to obliterate this ill back in the sixties, there are still too many citizens living at or below the poverty line in America. Furthermore, in the U.S. more than three and a half million people experience homelessness each year; twenty-five percent of that number are children under eighteen.

Growing up in New York City, I saw homelessness on a daily basis: sometimes I even bought a coffee for the homeless man who sits in front of my neighborhood Starbucks. However, I never realized the issue was so multifaceted. Using Baltimore as a case study, “Healthcare, Housing, and Homelessness in Baltimore” not only elucidated the many issues that cause homelessness, but also shattered many stereotypes attached to those who are homeless, such as being lazy, drug addicts, or criminals. Professor Adam Schneider (who works for the nonprofit group Health Care for the Homeless) brought in people who were currently or had previously been homeless as guest speakers, along with a doctor who also works for the organization.

Health Care for the Homeless serves the homeless population of Baltimore by providing health-related services, education, and advocacy to reduce the incidence and burdens of homelessness. Last year, the group served over eighty thousand homeless individuals in Baltimore. Through the guidance of Professor Schneider and the guest speakers, and through their guidance I learned about many of the complications homelessness entails.

On any given night in Baltimore, nearly 3,000 people experience homelessness, many of whom are families with children. Interestingly, in 2008 Baltimore City actually enacted a ten-year plan to end homelessness in the city. But this plan is threatened by the lack of housing funding in Baltimore; merely a year earlier, a report by The Abell Foundation found that the Housing Authority of Baltimore City cut over 2,400 homes housing the city’s poorest, with no plans to replace the units. Why won’t the city allocate the funds to fix the boarded-up, decrepit houses easily visible on the city streets? Because they want to use the money to create infrastructure and advance tourism. Harbor East is a classic example of funds that could have gone to housing.

But funding isn’t the only problem. We often view homelessness as a simple, one-dimension issue, and this ignores other factors that contribute to the astronomically high numbers of homeless individuals. For example, imprisonment for homeless individuals is a big issue; many find themselves resorting to criminal acts just to stay alive. This is difficult to avoid, as relieving oneself or even merely sleeping on public streets can lead to arrest. Furthermore, multiple medical complications, such as diabetes and back pains, arise from months spent on the streets.

To get a housing voucher in Baltimore, an individual must fill out a "reasonable accommodation request," which requires physically going downtown and waiting on a long line to fill out a form. Moreover, not all individuals even have enough money to take the bus downtown. Those who manage to apply for a voucher are placed on an absurdly long waitlist: the average time to reach the top is nine years. All participants must provide required information on social security numbers, citizenship or immigration status, plus detailed income and family information at the time of interview. Such practices are very difficult for those who are homeless and may not have such formal documentation. And even after impoverished individuals obtain a housing voucher from the city, landlords often find conniving ways to get around housing formerly homeless individuals, solely out of fear that they will not be paid properly or on time.

Maddie Goodman is a freshman majoring in History from New York City.