By Lauren McMillan
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The first permanent housing project for chronically homeless men in Baltimore County is now open and ready to be lived in.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held last week for the Prospect Place Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Apartments, a permanent supportive-housing complex that is comprised of 12 efficiency apartments in two buildings.
Sue Desantis, the homeless service administrator for the Baltimore County Planning Department, said the buildings will house 12 chronically homeless men.
“Chronically homeless means they have experienced long periods of homeless and have a disabling condition,” Desantis said.
She said there are two other permanent housing units similar to Prospect Place in Baltimore County but they are for single women.
“This is beautiful,” said David Richardson, one of the men who will soon call Prospect Place home. “I’ve never seen anything like this. I wish it could open today.”
Desantis said the Baltimore County Planning Commission has already chosen the men who will be living in the 400-square-foot apartments but that it will be a few more weeks before they can move in.
The men were chosen through a referral process by “street teams,” she said. Those referrals were sent to United Ministries, a faith- and community-based 501 nonprofit that worked closely with the project. The United Ministries interviewed and chose the men.
“We received 19 referrals,” said Pam Pryer, a case manager from United Ministries who will be working with the 12 new residents of Prospect Place.
After being interview, the men were sent through a screening process through the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, which provides federally funded vouchers that qualified participants use to help them pay the rent on affordable housing units. Men with sexual offenses or major criminal offenses were screened out.
Desantis said the men are 18 or older and have experienced at least a full year of homelessness or at least four instances of homelessness in three years.
While living in Prospect Place the men will receive supportive services and case management. Case management includes individual help for each man with tasks like setting up plans to think about employment. The men will all receive help connecting to services like food stamps and healthcare.
Desantis said the men can remain a resident for life but that they are encouraged to become fully independent again.
“We do work with folks to move on to true independent housing,” Desantis said.
“Having more housing for men is good because there aren’t too many programs for single men in the county,” said Megan Goffney, director homeless services and housing services at the Community Assistance Network, a Baltimore County-based nonprofit that fights against poverty.
The property of the new home at 8720 Philadelphia Road in Rosedale used to be an emergency shelter called the Nehemiah House Shelter, which served 50 men before it was closed in 2012.
The building was purchased in January 2014 and knocked down so that the construction of Prospect Place could start last January. Construction of the two buildings finished in August.
The construction was completed about a week before the ribbon cutting ceremony.
The project was made possible by the Baltimore County Department of Planning and the Department of Health and Human Services. The state Department of Housing and Community Development, the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, United Ministries, and Episcopal Housing were also part of the project.
The DHCD received $1 million from the state to complete the project. In total, about $1.3 million went towards the completion of Prospect Place, Desantis said.
Each of the 12 units qualifies under the federal government’s Section 8 voucher program.
“It opens doors for opportunities to build more permanent housing and permanent housing for families, we’re hoping for that,” said Nezia Munezero-Kubwayo, who oversees the Night of Peace Family Shelter in Woodlawn.
1 Comment
Hello, Can you explain to me what is prospect place? Are family’s allowed to be apart of the program? I was told I may be able to be a part of prospect place , but I’m married, separated but still married how would that work for me?