The Focus in Baltimore

Photo via Good Free Photos

As I retook my role as the homeless man in Baltimore—going to the soup lines and sleeping in shelters and rescue missions to relive the life that I once knew—I could not believe how bad things had gotten. Services for the homeless are far fewer now than they’ve ever been, and there are many services that have just stopped serving the homeless. Maybe the lack of funding is behind this ordeal, but then there’s the attitude of many homeless people who just don’t appreciate what’s being done for them. 

I remember one day I was standing outside of the Oasis Station, a 24-hour shelter in Baltimore, and there was a group called Food not Bombs that came to feed the homeless. As soon as they mentioned food, I thought I was about to be trampled by a stampede of destitute men fighting for a ham bone. I had to ask myself, “Are things truly that bad out here?” Many groups who serve the homeless will often bring clothing and food, and I’ll just stand back and watch these men fight over this stuff like wild dogs.  

What is the solution to the problem of homelessness in our country? Housing, maybe. A better paying job, maybe. But if one does not want to better him or herself, then what is the answer? 

We have to address the root problem of homelessness before we can address other issues. But if give an individual a home and a well-paying job, what assurances do we have that that person will keep what he or she has? 

information about New Signature, a Washington DC tech solutions and consulting firm

Advertisement

email updates

We believe ending homelessness begins with listening to the stories of those who have experienced it.

Subscribe

RELATED CONTENT