Baltimore's homeless population is on the rise, a study released Monday shows, bolstering Mayor Sheila Dixon's case for spending millions on year-round emergency shelters and the construction of a proposed permanent facility.
The census, conducted Jan. 22, found 3,419 homeless people, including those who live in shelters as well as more than 1,000 street dwellers.
The total was up 12 percent from two years ago, and nearly 28 percent since the census began in 2003. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the biannual survey for federal funding.
Early last year, Dixon announced a 10-year plan to end homelessness in Baltimore. A 275-bed, $8.2 million emergency facility on the Fallsway could open next spring, though the city is still reviewing proposals. Dixon has also used federal low-income housing vouchers to move about 150 homeless families and individuals into permanent residences over the past 18 months.
Diane Glauber, director of Baltimore Homeless Services, said the census provides a rare snapshot of homelessness and helps to show where to deploy resources for maximum impact. Federal officials use the figures for some formula-based grants, including money for emergency shelters.
Some of the key findings this year include:
* About 85 percent of the overall homeless population was African-American.
* About 23 percent of the 2,265 shelter occupants were children.
* Most of the street dwellers were men, and nearly half of them were between ages 45 and 60.
* More than 30 percent of the people in shelters were chronically homeless with substance abuse and mental health problems.
Reaching out to the street population has proven difficult for those trying to assist them.
On a recent afternoon, Achike Oranye, an outreach worker with People Encouraging People, and Gregory Sileo, the city's homeless outreach coordinator, walked through downtown to talk to some of the people who have been living on the streets for years.
Oranye and Sileo approached a pair of men at the mouth of a dingy alley on Baltimore Street. The two showed the effects of the alcohol they said they had been drinking all afternoon. A 57-year-old in a wheelchair, who has been homeless in the area for as long as anyone can remember (he says 35 years), said drinking is his way of coping.
Asked why he hadn't taken the city's offers of help, he said, "I'm a survivor," and turned away. Sileo was visibly frustrated.
