Baltimore's Project Connect (From Police and the Homeless: Creating a Partnership Between Law Enforcement and Social Service Agencies in the Development of Effective Policies and Programs, P 197-215, 1997, Martin L. Forst, ed. - See NCJ-167769)

• NCJ Number: 167781
• Author(s): G S Bonham
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 19 pages
• Sale Source: Charles C. Thomas
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter describes a Baltimore homeless outreach project from 1992 through 1994.

Abstract

The Baltimore project was one of three projects funded by the Federal Interagency Council on the Homeless for homeless people living in transit facilities. The project focused on a six-block-square area of the city which included the intercity bus terminal, two subway stations, major local bus transfer stops, and several stops on the light rail. Homeless Outreach Team (HOTeam) workers convinced two-thirds of the homeless people they encountered to accept case management services, and placed in permanent housing one-fourth of those accepting case management. Providers met 94 percent of the homeless clients' needs for food, but only 28 percent of their needs for drug or alcohol treatment and 35 percent of the needs for permanent shelter. The general weight of the evidence suggests that the HOT program was effective in helping many homeless people find alternatives to living in the transit center of Baltimore. The effectiveness of a program such as HOT depends on maintaining involvement of the homeless people in the program, carefully determining and documenting their needs, and having resources that can help meet gaps in the existing social service system. Tables, notes