Late last month, armed with the survey results, they asked again, stressing that if the park closed, its homeless residents might seek housing at shelters that offer medical services, job training and permanent housing.
Yesterday, officials said they are disappointed that church members - who have discussed the city's proposal at length and are expected to deliver their official position tomorrow - don't agree with their assessment.
"We have differences of opinion in this matter," said Diane Glauber, who heads the city's Homeless Services division.
Still, she stressed that all progress toward resolving the situation is not lost. The city and church are still working together under a memorandum of understanding negotiated several months ago, she said.
Under the agreement, St. Vincent de Paul members agreed to allow outreach workers into the park to try to convince homeless residents to seek housing in a shelter or a transitional housing apartment. The city also agreed at the time not to pressure the church to close down the park.
City officials changed their position about keeping the park open after they learned the results of the survey, which required park residents to answer questions about topics such as drug and alcohol use and mental illness. Park residents were also asked to mark where they sleep on a small map of the rectangular park.
The survey is similar to one created by a doctor who works with homeless populations in Boston. Common Ground recently used the same survey to interview people on Skid Row in Los Angeles, an industrial area that officials there are also trying to clear in an effort to attract new development.
Survey results from Skid Row showed that 42 percent of residents were vulnerable, a much smaller fraction than in Baltimore.
Baltimore's homeless population is spread throughout the city, but those at the park seem to be some of the neediest, Kanis said. Advocates say that's one of the reasons so many have made the park their permanent home - they feel safe there and receive regular food and clothing donations from passing motorists.
"If we give them the option, they won't go," Glauber said of the park residents, who live across the street from Police Department headquarters and a few blocks from City Hall. "They want to stay at the park."
