10.15.18
“Only through the dedicated support from case managers and peer counselors can we achieve stability in the housing status of the folks we hope to house. Health Care for the Homeless is the preeminent provider of services to recently housed, formerly homeless residents. I believe a strategic relationship between Health Care for the Homeless and housing developers can bear incredible fruit in addressing the issue, and I am happy to provide my expertise to the committee around housing development. I see the agency becoming a partner in ownership with entities that develop affordable and permanent supportive housing. It is uniquely positioned to have a major impact in housing the most vulnerable citizens of Baltimore because of its expertise with client services and funding sources not available to many developers.”
“We have good, broad experience on the committee that will make smart decisions to move the agency’s housing work forward. The agency has always believed having your own home is vital to a person’s overall health. With the new strategic plan, we’re going to have a really interesting debate about our role in housing development. We could partner with organizations that are experts in residential housing for instance, or we could get into the residential housing market directly. I’m looking forward to helping the agency figure it out.”
“My background expertise is in real estate development and financing and my current work with Enterprise Homes has opened my eyes to the number of people in need of help. I support the mission of Health Care for the Homeless—it is quite complementary to what I do for a living. I thought I might be able to make some small difference. There is an opportunity to partner with developers that, by definition, do all the real estate portion but are lacking in the skills, resources and contacts for the provision of health care services for people in need. The agency can provide those services that the developers don’t have.”
“I joined the committee because I’m already partnering with Health Care for the Homeless at Bon Secours New Shiloh and am looking forward to developing creative ways to address the housing crisis. I envision the agency’s work further integrating health care and housing development and creating more partnerships with like-minded organizations.”
“Affordable housing has been a priority of Southway Builders since our inception. We were the general contractor for the Sojourner Place apartments, and were excited by the prospect of helping find more housing for the City’s homeless population. At Health Care for the Homeless, I hope we can build a model that can be replicated on a large scale to help solve this terrifically difficult problem. Given the substantial need and the agency’s position as a leader in homeless services, I hope they can become a chief provider of housing as well. The marriage of housing and supportive services, managed under a single roof, will offer the most efficient outcomes and highest quality of services to a population that is deeply in need of assistance.”
“Housing is integrally related to the health of our clients, but there is woefully little affordable housing available. The idea of building trust with the developer community and seeing if together we could make some progress in this area is an exciting challenge. Also exciting is seeing what other non-profits already do with respect to affordable housing and exploring whether we can partner with them to advance our goal. The agency could be a catalyst for partnerships with those who develop affordable housing as part of their primary mission."
“I view this as an opportunity to collaborate, discuss, and learn with and from like-minded people on two pressing issues facing Baltimore: creating access to quality affordable housing and the impact that safe affordable housing has on health—both physical and mental health. I would love to see the Housing Committee help the agency implement and make as a part of its mission the goal of developing affordable housing on a larger scale. I hope Health Care for the Homeless will become a developer of affordable housing and be at the forefront of advocating for health and housing as if it were one word.”
After 16+ years in IT work, what is the most rewarding part of being in this field?
Being able to take a global approach to IT instead of just focusing on one aspect. There is a certain feeling of ownership that is compelling.
The Baltimore Sun amplified these voices in a front page article calling for state investment in rent relief.
Health Care for the Homeless client and community leader Paul Behler was killed last Sunday morning during a robbery near Lexington Market. Read staff memories and about Paul's life and death in an article from The Baltimore Sun.
Client Relations Coordinator, Malcolm Williams, LCSW-C shared the poetry below at our agency talent show in the wake of George Floyd's murder.