City Partners with Pratt Library for Housing Navigation
New initiative to provide increased access to people experiencing homelessness
BALTIMORE, MD. (Wednesday, June 7, 2023) – Housing Navigators from the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) are now available at Pratt Libraries across the City. MOHS has partnered with Pratt to make housing navigation more accessible to people experiencing homelessness and facilitate in-person meetings at locations frequently visited for other social services. Approximately $7.6 million of the $75 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding allocated to MOHS will be used to guide community members through a housing crisis and recruit landlords suitable for City-funded housing programs.
Services offered by the Housing Navigators include:
- Guidance to help community members understand their housing crisis and work toward a strategic resolution;
- Identification of community resources to quickly resolve current episodes of homelessness or prevent a potential housing crisis;
- Development of an individualized housing plan that accounts for long-term housing stability;
- Connection to Emergency Shelter (based on availability);
- Completion of Coordinated Access Intake to determine eligibility for housing resources for people experiencing homelessness;
- Navigation support for community members who have been matched to a housing program through Coordinated Access but still need to select housing/sign a lease;
- Short-term case management and connection to vital services.
Walk-ins are accepted, but individuals may also schedule an appointment by calling the phone number listed for navigators at each respective branch.
More information can be found on MOHS’ website.
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) provided $641 million to the City of Baltimore in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its negative economic impacts. Mayor Brandon M. Scott has established the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs to transparently and effectively administer this funding on behalf of the City. For additional information, visit the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Programs website at arp.baltimorecity.gov.
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