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Sunday, October 13

Forgotten—Rising homelessness in Baltimore and D.C.

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By Kobe Cuprill and Donte Davis
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers

Homelessness in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area is on the rise, and this represents just a more significant problem within the country. Baltimore has seen a 4% increase in homelessness from 64% to 68% now. 1,551 have spent at least one night homeless in 2023. With a substantial portion of those being African American men. 73% of the Homeless population is African American and 17% is youth up to the age of 24 reported by the Baltimore mayor’s office of homeless services.

The issue is worse in the District of Columbia, where 4,922 people were homeless for one night. That is 73 out of 100 residents, and according to US News and World Report, DC is the 15th highest on the list. This is just a small sample size of the growing issue of Homelessness in the United States, where feature states like New York City and Los Angeles both had over 70,000+ people homeless in 2023.

“I saw so many people sleeping on the ground during the winter, with nothing but ripped-up clothes and cardboard boxes to keep them warm, I felt like I had to do something.” Sadi Ashley Elizabeth is a former volunteer at Miriam Kitchen.

The Miriam Kitchen is a D.C. nonprofit organization that offers healthy meals to help combat the housing crisis. In just the past year, they served 84,000 meals, working with over 900 different volunteers. The District of Columbia has seen a 12% increase from 2022 to 2023, with 16% of the residents unsheltered.

Photos by Kobe Cuprill

In 2022, Baltimore City received $75 million in one-time funding from the federal government for resources to help homelessness issues through the American Rescue Plan Act; this also goes with the COVID-19 relief fund. In an average year, most city officials estimate about 5,200 people experience homelessness across Baltimore City. Due to the recent spike in inflation and the increase in individuals struggling to find jobs, it is a major problem in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area. They have also previously bought two hotels to help shelter the homeless for 18 million dollars. They have made strides to help combat homelessness as they follow a 4-year trend with decreases every except 2023. However, the African American community is still suffering, making 63% of the Baltimore population and 73% are experiencing homelessness, 8% percent them being former veterans.

“35-40 people typically, with 95% consisting of African Americans.”  said Prakash Saraf of Friends of Sparsh.

According to CBS News Baltimore, the city has finalized more than $18 million to acquire two hotel properties as an emergency shelter for those experiencing homelessness. The city will purchase hotels like the Sleep Inn and Suites and Holiday Inn Express on N. Front Street. While the hotels will offer 132 beds for individuals, this opportunity could mean the world to an individual trying to get back on their feet.

On the other hand, there are many shelters and housing options for families. An example is Friends of Sparsh; this shelter has helped provide service to our homeless community with the help of over 5,000 volunteers. They have also provided over 650,000 meals, including meals given through their pantry and with the help of other shelters. We had the opportunity to interview one of the volunteers, Prakash Saraf, who has been volunteering for 12-13 years.

“There is a permanent resident program, which consists of usually two-three months, but some can stay up to six months, if necessary,” said Saraf Prakash.

While shelters provide service to those families in need, there are some limitations that are also involved. Limitations such as lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and even access to healthcare and education. Providing more affordable housing for residents in the local area can provide solutions to these problems. For example, more Section 8 housing can be extremely helpful for low-income families. Section 8 housing provides services like counseling, job training, and community referrals that can assist those in need. The majority of the people suffering from being unsheltered are experiencing mental illness, reaching a total of 57%.

“No, we also provide food and help them find other resources to support their needs, sometimes other families will even cook the food.” said Prakash Saraf.

Unemployment is the biggest obstacle for low-income families with jobs scarce many are unable to provide. Also, many homeless people are often disabled veterans who help fight for our country. Where is there protection? There should be more unemployment benefits that provide financial assistance to individuals who are out of work. These governmental benefits should be able to help cover basic needs and prevent housing instability. Building a strong, supportive community can help network and aid many non-profits, businesses, and community organizations.

The issue of homelessness is not going to be fixed overnight, with Baltimore and the District of Columbia in the top 15 in the prevalence of homelessness per 100,000 people. The gestures of nonprofits, organizations, shelters, and government services are helping to combat it. However, we need to do more as a society to help people in need because no one should question having a roof over their head.

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