Baltimore officials say more permanent supportive housing and services needed as homelessness rises

Summary

City and state officials told a Baltimore City Council committee the number of people entering homelessness rose in 2024–25, that permanent supportive housing and case management are critical, and that funding gaps — especially for services — limit the city’s ability to house and keep its most vulnerable residents.

The Baltimore City Council’s Housing & Community Development Committee heard a report Tuesday from Ernestina Simmons, director of the mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS), saying the city served more people in 2024 and that the number of residents experiencing homelessness for the first time rose sharply.

"Our mission is to make homelessness rare and brief," Simmons told the committee, then outlined program counts and system measures. MOHS reported serving 21,306 clients in 2024 through supportive services, shelters and housing programs; enrolling 6,609 clients in the coordinated entry system; and providing permanent supportive housing to 4,249 clients. Simmons said the city exited 1,044 clients to permanent housing and that outreach teams served 3,106 people, delivering 63,261 services.

Why it matters: City and nonprofit leaders said permanent supportive housing (PSH) — housing linked to on-going case management, health care and substance-use treatment — is the most effective intervention for people with chronic needs. But they warned that funding for supportive services is sparse, restricting how many units can include the services that sustain tenancy.

Simmons told council members the city lags national trends for moving people from unsheltered situations into permanent housing. She said MOHS’s 2025 unsheltered point-in-time count recorded 188 people on the street the survey night and that among those unsheltered,…

Baltimore officials say more permanent supportive housing and services needed as homelessness rises

Summary

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