City of Baltimore - File #: 15-0275R

• File #: 15-0275R
• Version: 0
• Name: "There's a Better Way" to Assist Homeless
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Adopted
• File created: 11/9/2015
• In control: Housing and Community Development Committee
• Final action: 8/8/2016
• Title: "There's a Better Way" to Assist Homeless FOR the purpose of encouraging the Administration to examine how best to incorporate elements of Albuquerque, New Mexico's "There's a Better Way" program to assist homeless individuals with work and support into Baltimore's efforts to make homelessness a rare and brief experience.
• Sponsors: Bill Henry, Eric T. Costello, Sharon Green Middleton, Carl Stokes, James B. Kraft, Warren Branch, Brandon M. Scott, Mary Pat Clarke, Nick Mosby, Robert Curran, William "Pete" Welch, Edward Reisinger
• Indexes: "There's a Better Way", Assist Homeless

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
8/8/2016	0	City Council	Adopted
8/8/2016	0	Housing and Community Development Committee	Recommended Favorably
8/3/2016	0	Housing and Community Development Committee	Recommended Favorably	Pass
6/6/2016	0	Housing and Community Development Committee	Scheduled for a Public Hearing
11/12/2015	0	The City Council	Refer to Journey Home
11/12/2015	0	The City Council	Refer to Dept. of Health
11/12/2015	0	The City Council	Refer to City Solicitor
11/12/2015	0	The City Council	Refer to Homless Services Program
11/12/2015	0	The City Council	Refer to Mayor's Office of Human Services
11/12/2015	0	The City Council	Refer to Deputy Mayor for Health, Human Services, Education, and Youth
11/9/2015	0	City Council	Assigned
11/9/2015	0	City Council	Introduced

* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.

THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.

                     INTRODUCTORY*

                     CITY OF BALTIMORE

                     COUNCIL BILL           R

                     (Resolution)

Introduced by: Councilmember Henry

                     A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning

title

"There's a Better Way" to Assist Homeless

FOR the purpose of encouraging the Administration to examine how best to incorporate elements of Albuquerque, New Mexico's "There's a Better Way" program to assist homeless individuals with work and support into Baltimore's efforts to make homelessness a rare and brief experience.

body

Recitals

   Like Baltimore, cities across the United States struggle to address the interrelated problems of providing services and support to homeless individuals and mitigating the safety concerns caused by panhandling on active roads.  In Albuquerque, New Mexico, the city is experimenting with an innovative new approach to these concerns that could provide a valuable model to other communities, including Baltimore.

   The Albuquerque program, dubbed �There�s a Better Way� by local officials, has 3 main elements.  It includes efforts to connect the city�s homeless with care providers and to get commuters and other concerned citizens to donate directly to a coalition of care providers rather than to give money to panhandlers engaging in dangerous collection efforts in traffic.  The third, and perhaps most intriguing, element is an effort to provide homeless individuals and panhandlers with opportunities for a day of paid work on beautification projects.

   The daywork element involves an employee with a van from a local homeless services organization driving around to areas known to have homeless populations and panhandlers and asking homeless people if they want to work for the day.  If they say yes, they are immediately picked up and given lunch in the van, then driven to a beautification project for a 5.5 hour work shift paying $9/hour.  At the end of the shift, the participants are driven to a location where numerous shelter, food, and other support services are available and given an opportunity to take advantage of these services if they choose.

   �As a mayor, you want to be effective, and you want to do it in a way that�s compassionate. And you also want to do it in a way that really maybe helps people get out of the circumstances that they�re in,� Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry said of the program.  �We want to give the dignity of work for a day.  The dignity of a day�s work for a day�s pay is a very good thing.  It helps people stabilize, it helps them with their selfconfidence, and it helps them get back on their feet.�

   The �There�s a Better Way� program has only been in place for a few months in Albuquerque, so the data on its effectiveness is limited, but early results are encouraging enough that the city is looking to expand the program to 5 day a week service.  This is an innovative approach that deserves more exploration and consideration here in Baltimore.  The differences between Albuquerque and Baltimore meant that the program would likely need to be adjusted somewhat to be effective here, but adding something like it to our toolbox for assisting the homeless could be invaluable

   NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Council encourages the Administration to examine how best to incorporate elements of Albuquerque, New Mexico�s �There�s a Better Way� program to assist homeless individuals with work and support into Baltimore�s efforts to make homelessness a rare and brief experience.

   AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor for Health, Human Services, Education, and Youth, the Director of the Mayor�s Office of Human Services, the Director of the Mayor�s Office of Human Services� Homeless Services Program, the Executive Director of the Journey Home, the Health Commissioner, the City Solicitor, and the Mayor�s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.

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