Noel moved into her Charles Village home several months ago. She said she attributes her recent succes to her mantra, "You've got to help yourself before you can get help." She said she's at the center every day for classes or just to help others.
"She's one of our best outreach coordinators," Singer said.
The organization's Housing First program and her disability assistance have helped Noel pay for her housing.
Noel is just one of the program's successes. Housing First began three years ago by finding housing for 28 people who were sleeping in the park outside St. Vincent de Paul church in downtown Baltimore. Lindamood said that 85 percent of those people are still living in homes. Since its inception, the program has received a federal grant and it continues to grow every day with new clients, he said.
Homeless people are three to four times more likely to die than people who are housed, Lindamood said.
"Housing is health care," Lindamood said. "We can stabilize their condition if we know where to find them."
Lindawood said that most patients have more than one problem and can require intensive care - the 6,000 patients the clinic saw last year accounted for 54,000 visits. He said that clinic physicians see high blood pressure, diabetes and also a high HIV rate, hovering between 9 percent and 12 percent, depending on the year.
Singer and Lindamood say that homelessness in the city is on the rise. As many as 25 percent of patients at the clinic are employed.
"Homelessness itself is a symptom of the broader problem of poverty," Lindamood said.
jessica.anderson@baltsun.com
