Homes for homeless in Baltimore
(Loleta Chase a resident of #Camp83)
I am in the office with Loleta Chase, director of Souls of Hope Homeless Shelter and Christina Flowers, director of Belvedere Assisted Living. Loleta and Christina are about to house the residents of #Camp83, a makeshift home under highway 83 bridge in Baltimore.
One of the homes is located on East 28th Street. Clay, Liz and the puppy, Milo of #Camp83 will be at this house. Chase has the house and the keys. Now she needs everyone in Baltimore to come out and bring household supplies all weekend long until 8 p.m. each night.
The good news is #Camp83 residents should be in housing before the city’s eviction deadline on Friday, March 8th at 8 a.m. It has taken these ladies about four months to get this house together. The city has The Journey Home, Baltimore’s ten year plan to end homelessness.
To me, these two remarkable women are getting more done with a lot less funding. That’s right; Souls of Hope Homeless Shelter and Belvedere Assisted Living are a nonprofit organization. Housing the homeless comes naturally to Chase.
“I’ve always had a giving nature.” she says.
Flowers is about solutions and resolutions problem solving on the ground. She works with her coalition of service providers to help people with all issues including mental illness, addiction and HIV. Flowers heard about #Camp83 at the release of the new Journey Home plan at Our Daily Bread less than a month ago. I met Christina at that meeting along with the residents.
Flowers and Chase heard the cries from #Camp83 less than a month ago and are getting ready to put them into housing. The city has had five years with their original ten year plan to end homelessness and countless resources and funding. What have they done? How many homeless have they housed?
I would like to commend Mary Pat Clarke on introducing resolution 13-0098R at Monday’s City Council meeting, which gave two options for City Council members either extend the eviction date to June or put the people of #Camp83 into transitional housing not in shelters. Unfortunately, Clarke only had three votes that night. The resolution has gone to the Housing Committee which meets tomorrow at one p.m. if the housing committee approves it still has to be voted on by all members. This vote would take place on March 11 after the eviction deadline.
I feel truly blessed to be on ground zero of helping #Camp83 get into a real house helping out Chase and Flowers. It’s snowing outside and the residents of #Camp83 toughed it out last night. I went down with John Devecka of WLOY radio and dropped off blankets and coats last night at four and again at nine with Occupy Baltimore with hand warmers
Chase, Flowers and I are getting ready to go down to #Camp83 in about an hour and speak with Charles Jones and other residents to help facilitate their transition into a real house. After that, it’s on cleaning and painting the house. Right now, we are ringing our resources phones off the hook looking for furniture.
Housing the Homeless for real. Thank you , Loleta and Christina for including me, a formerly homeless woman in this miracle.
Bonnie Lane is an avid activist and advocate here in Baltimore. She is very vocal about social injustices. Fighting against injustice isn’t just a slogan to her but a way of life. Lane is a soldier in the struggles for social justice, real change and human rights. Having been homeless is what inspired her to become an advocate/activist. A passion for writing consumed her at an early age.
Awesome job guys, thanks!!