Homeless

Despite the ruthless and cavalier manner with which the mayor's office steam-rolled the rights of homeless people camped under the JFX, there is a certain sense in which clearing the site was actually a good thing ("Homeless camp's clearing brings hope, questions," March 9). Transition of any kind after a period of stability - if one could call it that, given how the campers were living - comes with a natural degree of resistance. What many of the campers talk about is the sense of community and camaraderie that grew up among them over the months they were there.

Hat's off to The Sun editorial board for bringing to light the critical need to end homelessness in Baltimore ("The long journey home," Mar. 11). However, anyone looking at Baltimore's revised 10-year plan to meet that goal would be hard-pressed to call it an "action plan. " Indeed, the revised plan does contain specific statements about creating permanent supportive housing. But it provides no explanation of how those housing units will be funded or developed - or which city agencies will be responsible for their creation.

A team of 90 volunteers painted and cleaned the playground at the Pratt House this week to prepare the site for an overhaul next month. College students, part of Students Today Leaders Forever, joined Volunteers of America Chesapeake to enhance the playground at the 35-unit apartment complex for formerly homeless families with two or more children. The recreational area will be rebuilt in April with new equipment for the children, who helped design their dream playground. The students from Minnesota and North Dakota are taking part in the Pay it Forward Tour, which offers an alternative spring break trip.

What, pray tell, is the definition of "affordable housing" for people who don't work ("The long journey home," March 11)? Many of our seemingly intractable social problems defy their ostensible solutions. Does anyone really think that homelessness has anything to do with houses; that poverty is simply a lack of money; that hunger in America has much to do with food; or that substandard education has anything to do with a lack of schools and qualified teachers? Indolence and irresponsibility quite often lie at the heart of all these problems, and while I don't know what the real solutions are, I know what they are not. Dave Reich, Perry Hall Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Maryland will receive $45.6 million from the Obama administration for housing and local services for the homeless, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Wednesday. The Continuum of Care grants will be used to renew support for 215 programs for another year, including more than $21 million for Baltimore-based services. The money will be used for street outreach, assessment programs, transitional and permanent housing, job training and mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Tracy Jones pounded a pair of sneakers against the wall of an Interstate 83 ramp, shaking off months of caked-on dirt. She tossed aside a long-sleeve shirt that had been chewed by a rat and packed up her few belongings Friday as a team of city workers razed the homeless encampment where she had lived with more than a dozen others. Jones and her husband, Charlie, finally were going home. "There's no feeling in the world like it," he said. The couple moved into a sparsely furnished rowhouse on Dumbarton Avenue, where they hope to rebuild their lives and be reunited with their four children, who were removed from their care.

As a 44 year resident of Baltimore City, I cannot think of a better use of my taxes than paying to temporarily house the homeless individuals who are about to be evicted by the city from their meager camp in motels while they wait for permanent housing ("Homeless eviction plan criticized," March 5). Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's comments that doing so is "not a responsible use of taxpayer money," and Councilwoman Rikki Spector's reference to the camp as "toxic," made this proud resident of Baltimore feel shame that publicly elected officials would so openly demonstrate their contempt and lack of compassion for our most vulnerable citizens.

As a Friday deadline approaches, advocates are working to find housing for the homeless men and women living at a Baltimore encampment set to be cleared. Christina Flowers, president of Belvedere Homes, stopped by the site between Interstate 83 and the Fallsway on Wednesday with a promise to find housing for those who want it. She said her organization secured a three-bedroom house in the Harwood neighborhood to accommodate six of the roughly 18 men and women at the encampment. "At this point, it's just about being able to move forward," said Flowers, whose organization on North Charles Street provides housing for those who are homeless, suffer from disabilities or have a mental illness.

Kevin Gipson spent his final day advocating for friends as they fought to stay at a homeless camp under the Jones Falls Expressway. The next morning, police found him dead in what they believe to be an unrelated incident. Once a resident of the small shantytown of tents between the northbound JFX and the Fallsway, Gipson, 43, had spoken to The Baltimore Sun Friday about the city's plans to raze the encampment. He said he had moved into a Park Heights medical facility but had left his tent behind for friends.

Grace Callwood, a second-grader at William S. James Elementary School in Abingdon, donated many new and gently used toys and books to the homeless children at Harford Family House, a shelter for homeless families with children in Aberdeen. Grace has been battling cancer since 2011 and receives an abundance of toys as gifts from her friends, family and admirers. Grace had so many toys she thought she should share some of them with the families who reside at Harford Family House.