Homelessness and affordable housing are inextricably linked. Under the direction of Mayor Brandon M. Scott, the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) and the Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD) have partnered to leverage Federal funding provided for COVID-19 relief to make homelessness rare and brief, and housing affordable for all Baltimoreans.

Leadership Committee on Homelessness and Housing (LCHH)

To guide Baltimore's housing initiatives and implement projects funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Mayor Scott convened the City of Baltimore’s Leadership Committee on Homelessness and Housing (LCHH). The committee includes homeless service and housing providers; philanthropists; City agency representatives; people with lived experience of homelessness; and representatives from hospitals, mental and behavioral health, academia, and public safety sectors. 

The LCHH works in collaboration with Baltimore City’s Continuum of Care (CoC).

LCHH Co-Chairs

• Executive Director Ernestina Simmons, Mayor's Office of Homeless Services
• Housing Commissioner Alice Kennedy, Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development

View the full list of LCHH members.

Public Committee Meetings

All meetings are virtual and held via Teams, a link to the meeting will be provided the week of.

• Wednesday, December 4, 2024, from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
• View past LCHH meeting minutes.

Baltimore's Commitment to Homeless Services and Housing

In early 2022, Mayor Scott announced that the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) would receive a nearly $200 million allocation of funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Additionally, MOHS received $15.4 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME-ARP) in partnership with Baltimore City Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD) to implement best practices from its COVID-19 emergency housing response as a model for its long-term response to homelessness. 

Equipped with one of the largest ARPA allocations of the Scott Administration, MOHS will use the funding to support housing initiatives designed to address several barriers to homeless diversion, including the creation of affordable permanent supportive housing. This significant investment brings financial support for housing and homeless to the forefront and aligns with MOHS's strategic investment plan.

Latest Announcements:

• Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services & Department of Real Estate Releases RFP for Permanent Supportive Housing Hotel Conversion
• City of Baltimore Cuts Ribbon on Newly-Acquired Hotels Slated to Help Efforts to Address Homelessness
• MOHS, HABC Announce Housing Plus Program Expansion
• MOHS Awards $1.5M in ARPA Funding to Support Unhoused Youth in Baltimore

ARPA in Action

The Scott Administration has been able to leverage funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which the City of Baltimore received in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic's negative economic impacts, to make strategic investments in Baltimore’s future and equitably deliver resources and services to City residents.

Mayor Scott established the Mayor's Office of Recovery Programs (MORP) to administer ARPA funds and conduct regular reporting with the federal government and Baltimore community. More information on Recovery Programs in the City of Baltimore can be found on MORP's website.

ARPA-Funded Projects

ARPA/HOME-ARP Funding to Expand Housing in Baltimore City

$32.5 million of combined ARPA and HOME-ARP funding is allocated for the creation of permanent supportive housing through the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).