By Tashi McQueen,
AFRO Political Writer,
tmcqueen@afro.com
Mayor Brandon M. Scott, U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07) and other city officials announced the award of nearly $30 million to 11 community projects in Baltimore. The money will be used to increase permanent supportive housing (PSH) and affordable housing through the Housing Accelerator Fund.
The investments were made possible through the $641 million grant Baltimore acquired through the 2021 America Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
“It is the exact type of project we want to be spending ARPA on,” said Scott on March 11 at New Shiloh Village Senior Living. “Providing long-term, tangible, real-world solutions to some of Baltimore’s most vulnerable residents and families.”
The PSH merges affordable housing, health care and other community-based aid to assist Baltimoreans and their families who are experiencing homelessness, are formerly homeless, or are unable to keep stable housing.
The 2023 Baltimore City Point-In-Time Count Report found that 1,551 people were homeless in Baltimore on one night in January. About 58 percent of them resided in emergency shelters, 34 percent were in transitional housing, and less than 7 percent were unsheltered.
Housing Accelerator Awards:
- 407 Franklin Partners $1.5 million
- Beacon House $1.8 million
- Belvedere Place $2.75 million
- Dominion $1.15 million
- Episcopal Housing $7 million
- Govans Ecumenical Development $1.9 million
- HCH Real Estate $3.4 million
- Homes For America $4.25 million
- NHP Foundation $3.2 million
- Springboard Community Service $419,000
- Unity Properties and New Shiloh 3 $2.5 million
“I feel particularly good about this to know that these funds– just this bit– will create 450 housing units in this city for people to live in and to grow in and to survive in,” said Mfume. “We will continue to find ways to make sure that the housing crisis in this city is in fact dealt with.”
Scott, Mfume, and director of the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs Shamiah T. Kerney, whose office launched the Housing Accelerator Fund, defended how the funds have been used, which has recently been under scrutiny by mayoral candidates.
“It is easy to be critical now about how ARPA funds are being spent or the commitments we are making,” said Kerney. “Let me also remind you and take you back to where we were when many of these decisions were being made.”
She highlighted that there were numerous people facing housing, food and job insecurity during the initial years of COVID-19.
“We did not know what normal would look like,” said Kerney.
By law, the city must commit all ARPA funds by Dec. 31 and they must be spent by Dec. 31, 2026.
Nearly all of the ARPA funding has been committed to date. According to the Baltimore City ARPA Reporting Center, around 31 percent has been spent as of Feb. 29.
“We have to make sure that these projects and things are ready to go because we know there’s timelines and limits on what you can use the money for,” said Scott. “What we’re not going to do is just do things that sound good, but actually won’t impact and help people.”
Thiruvendran “Thiru” Vignarajah, a leading candidate for Baltimore mayor, responded to their comments.
“Devoting funds to housing is a worthy cause, but this feels a dollar short and a day late,” said Vignarajah. “We needed this money two years ago. We needed recovery funds to be deployed for recovery when we were still recovering.”
“The notion that there are limitations on what the money can be spent for is no defense at all,” he added.
Tashi McQueen is a Report For America corps member.
