Health Care for the Homeless moves to 421 Fallsway

BALTIMORE – Health Care for the Homeless [HCH] moves this week into an award-winning “green” building at 421 Fallsway to provide more comprehensive resources to the agency’s 7,000 clients and better to serve a growing population of people experiencing homelessness.

Vacating the 111 Park Avenue center it has occupied since 1991, the 25-year-old nonprofit service and advocacy organization will close on January 28, 29, and 30 and will open in its new location on Monday, February 1. Public “Grand Opening” activities are planned for Thursday, March 25.

With its new clinic and headquarters building, HCH nearly triples the size of its former 20,000 sq. ft. facility and soon will unveil an onsite pharmacy, a pediatric clinic, and Maryland’s first dental program exclusively for homeless children and adults. The move into the $15.5 million facility follows six years of planning and fundraising and approximately 15 months of construction, which commenced in November 2008.

To be named for philanthropists Harry and Jeanette Weinberg, the project also was made possible by local, state, and federal public capital grants and the generous support of area foundations, hospitals, corporations, and individuals.

“We are gratified by the public’s confidence in our ability to build a future without homelessness,” said Jeff Singer, President & CEO of Health Care for the Homeless. “In our new facility, we’ll continue the high-quality care we’ve provided since 1985 and help even more of our most vulnerable neighbors move from the streets to the mainstream.”

Health Care for the Homeless expects the project to be granted gold-level status using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System of the U.S. Green Building Council. The Council’s Maryland Chapter has given HCH a “2009 Award for New Construction,” to be presented during a Chapter event on January 28.

The HCH facility incorporates energy efficient heating, cooling, and lighting; environmentally sustainable materials; maximized natural light throughout the interior; and a green roof to assist with storm water management. Kann Partners is the project architect. Harkins Builders is the general contractor.

Health Care for the Homeless provides health-related services, education, and advocacy to reduce the incidence and burdens of homelessness. The agency delivers pediatric, adult, and geriatric medical care, mental health services, addiction treatment, social work and case management, dental care, prison reentry services, housing, and access to employment for nearly 12,000 Marylanders each year at clinic sites in Baltimore, Frederick, and Montgomery, Harford, and Baltimore Counties.

For more information, please contact Kevin Lindamood at 410-916-6364. Click here for the news release.