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Baltimore officials note emergency winter-shelter procurements as directors defend rapid staffing and safety steps
Summary
The Board of Estimates reviewed a package of Mayor's Office of Homeless Services emergency procurements for winter-shelter staffing, food and related services. Director Ernestina Simmons described demand, vendor roles and safety oversight; the board noted the items and members pressed for procurement-process changes and stronger oversight.
The Board of Estimates on April 16 reviewed a package of emergency procurements by the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) to staff and operate winter shelters as Baltimore experienced unpredictable cold-weather events.
MOHS Director Ernestina Simmons told the board the city uses Athena Consulting Group to supply shelter staff and the Franciscan Center to provide food at overflow winter sites and that additional vendors—TaylorMade Transportation, MIT Cleaning, POI Installation Group LLC and others—support transport, cleaning and temporary room dividers. "We are charged with making sure that during the winter shelter season everyone that needs a bed is able to receive a bed," Director Simmons said, describing staffing and food arrangements.
The presentation included use data and capacity figures. Simmons said that, counting July 1, 2024, through April 1, 2025, MOHS triaged 1,753 households through emergency shelters and 770 households through…
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