Mayor Rawlings-Blake Announces Housing of 1.1K Baltimore Homeless Individuals, Part of National 100K Homes Campaign

National Campaign Seeks to House 100K Chronically Homeless Individuals

BALTIMORE, Md. (June 11, 2014)—Today, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined the Home for Good Campaign to announce the housing of 1,085 homeless individuals in Baltimore City as part of the national 100,000 Homes Campaign, which, today, reached its four-year goal of helping communities house 100,000 chronically homeless Americans. That number includes more than 30,000 veterans and represents an estimated annual taxpayer savings of $1.3 billion.

Between 2010 and today, the number of Americans experiencing chronic homelessness has dropped from 109,812 to 92,593. In the same time, veteran homelessness has declined by 24 percent to 58,063. Baltimore City is contributing to the continued downward trend in homelessness nationally.

“Housing First is a central component of The Journey Home—Baltimore’s plan to end homelessness,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “The work of the Home for Good campaign moves us closer to fulfilling our vision that homelessness in Baltimore will be rare and brief; however, we know that this work continues well beyond the 100,000 milestone.”

After joining the national campaign in July 2010, Baltimore City is now a member of its elite “2.5% Club,” which is a group of 57 communities nationwide that are on track to end chronic homelessness outright within three years.

“The 100,000 Homes Campaign matters because it shows that ending homelessness is possible and measurable,” said 100,000 Homes Campaign Director Becky Kanis. “These communities have shown that no one is beyond help or out of reach. Those are just stories we tell ourselves to avoid taking action. By using data and getting smarter about how we work, we can solve this problem and eliminate the national tragedy of homelessness.”

Communities participating in the 100,000 Homes Campaign have achieved success by changing their processes in four ways:

• They take steps to identify their homeless neighbors by name and build a file on each person’s housing needs.
• They prioritize their most vulnerable homeless neighbors for the first permanent housing available. This includes those who have been homeless for extended periods of time and those who face serious health conditions associated with an increased risk of death on the streets.
• They adopt the evidence-based Housing First approach, which offers individuals and families immediate access to permanent housing and combines housing with wrap-around supportive services.
• They use data to streamline their local housing systems and track their monthly progress toward ending homelessness. All communities work toward a goal of housing at least 2.5% of their chronically homeless population each month.

Baltimore City is housing approximately 4% of its chronically homeless population each month. The Home for Good campaign will continue to mobilize people and resources to house Baltimore’s most vulnerable homeless neighbors.

Coordinated by Community Solutions, the 100,000 Homes Campaign is a national movement of more than 230 communities working together to find and house 100,000 of their most vulnerable, chronically homeless neighbors by July 31, 2014.

Since the campaign’s launch in July of 2010, participating communities have found permanent housing for more than 100,000 of their homeless neighbors, including more than 30,000 veterans, at an estimated cost savings to taxpayers of $1.3 billion. The campaign is led by former U.S. Army Captain Becky Kanis of Community Solutions. Learn more at www.100khomes.org and www.cmtysolutions.org.

The Home for Good Campaign is Baltimore City’s chapter of the 100,000 Homes Campaign. This chapter is supported through the Journey Home, Baltimore’s plan to end homelessness, and is facilitated by the Mayor’s Office of Human Services, Homeless Services Program. The workgroup’s mission is to end chronic homelessness in Baltimore by the end of 2015.