BALTIMORE: Affordable Housing is non-existent

Recently I ran into an article about the Baltimore Housing fund which had been initialized by the then Mayor Martin O' Malley. The program was initially funded with $60 million. So far more houses have been tore down and vacant than renovated. Upon further reading, I was surprised to find out 3/5 of the budget has already been spent.

"$36 million has gone toward tearing houses down, not putting them up." Calvert exclaims.

According to this article the vacant houses attract crime. I can agree with this. If there aren't people in the neighborhoods then criminals don't have to worry about anyone reporting them to the police or be a potential witness against them. Higher drug rates, prostitution and squatting.

http://wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/11/10/07/confronting_vacant_homes_in_baltimore

There are an estimated 2,638 homeless men, women, and children according to Baltimore City Human Services website.

I also ran across a website that indicated that there are 16,000 vacant houses in Baltimore, MD and there is an estimation of 6,000 house worth renovating or that had been renovated but never any tenants. Seems to me that some of the issue is funding. Where has the money Gone?

http://www.mybrotherskeeperbaltimore.org/blog/homeless-population-baltimore/

I would love to see a program that rehabs these house at a rate where they are actually used. It seems most of the programs out here have nothing to do with the actual ability to help the homeless or revitalize the city. It is purely there for show in my opinion. I can't stress how terrible some of the city looks. In the poorest of the poor neighborhoods they look worse than an Apocalyptic event. Ran down houses, trash and drug addicted fends everywhere.

I can't speak for anyone else but reading the articles just made it evident that there isn't a real concern in the city for the inhabitants of the city. The mayor is trying get reelected by coming out in the community now that it is closer towards the Election time. She is asking what we need to improve Baltimore, what we should do the qual the violence in the city? What we should do about the uproar that hit Baltimore during the 'Riots'?

Just from a citizens perspective, in order to fight Homelessness, fix up the homes that are vacant, provide either more transitional housing or offer potential for home-ownership. Some of these very people are Military Veterans, home owners who in turn lost there home due to bank foreclosures, or mentally ill individuals, and some are simply drug addicts. Everyone falls on hard times and things don't always go our way. There is a chance to change the tide in the city with this redundant issue with homelessness and vacant housing. How long do we have to sit and wait for things to be better?

I can't imagine what it is like to be homeless. It is a tough life from what i have seen. Baltimore housing issues is something that will continue and be an unconcerned factor to those who don't have to deal with it. Right now Our City's government doesn't have to deal with it but alas it is still an issue.