Do you believe in a time without homelessness? I’m not asking if you think it’s a good idea, or if you’d pledge money for homeless services — but do you actually believe you will one day wake up in a city where your neighbors also wake up inside their own homes? For most people, the answer is probably no. I’ll admit, it seems like a bit of a utopian daydream, but when Baltimore launched “The Journey Home” its 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness in 2008, it seemed like the city was on the brink of unprecedented changes.
On a cold day six years later, the Office of Emergency Management services reports that they saw the region’s shelters filled to capacity, and personally transported more than fifty individuals inside to escape the dangerous temperatures. While people experiencing homelessness tried to survive the freezing cold, city leadership was in hot water. The end of 2013 brought in the results of a HUD audit of Baltimore’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, and the report raised some serious questions — about $9 million dollars worth.
The fact that the city can hardly shelter all the individuals experiencing homelessness on a cold night in January gives the impression that the city has not made much progress towards the lofty goals it set forth six years ago to permanently house these people. The Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proves that the city has not made positive progress in this direction, via its November 2013 audit. The report finds that Baltimore City “did not properly obligate and expend grant funds, and it generally did not monitor activities for compliance with Recovery Act requirements.” It seems Baltimore City did not track all the sub groups to which it allocated pieces of the $9 million dollar federal grant. When approached, these organizations were unable to produce client files. Some programs were billed twice for the same clients, and some groups had overdrawn their allotted funds.
It seems the city has spent more energy to rid itself of people experiencing homelessness than of the social issue itself. The audit recommended the city provide documentation on all its spending related to this grant, and repay any dollars that were improperly spent. In short, Baltimore could be looking at a debt to HUD, and not enough money to implement its plans to end homelessness. When I learned this, I had trouble connecting this present with a future without homelessness. An already hard to believe situation seemed a complete impossibility.
While in the middle of this melancholy mood, I read some truly amazing news about a change happening in India. This week marks the end- the END!- of polio in India. What does shutting down a physical disease thousands of miles away have to do with ending a social and economic issue here in Baltimore? Because just five years ago, half of the world’s new polio cases were in India. At that time, I am sure most people would say there would never be an end to the disease:
My favorite part of this video is when Dr. Varghese explains his wish for the future — that the beds on the polio ward in his hospital be empty. Similarly, I hope that one day the bed’s in this city’s homeless shelter will not be filled to capacity on every cold night. Of course, wishing and dreaming about a rosy future won’t make it a reality. HUD has asked some serious questions of Baltimore about their spending. As of late 2013, the Journey Home has a new leader and a new Board of Directors, filled with Baltimore leaders from nonprofits, religious agencies, and city departments. Will these dedicated individuals have the drive and the creativity to put an end to homelessness in Baltimore?
Mayor Rawlings-Blake described Baltimore as “re-invigorated” to end homelessness in 2014. I hope — and I want to really believe — that she is right.
