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County outlines freezing-weather shelter plan; motel vouchers ended after reported abuse
Summary
Harford Countypresented its annual freezing-weather plan: shelters and warming centers will be used for activation, motel vouchers were discontinued after abuse, and county staff will ask the Harford Community Action Agency to provide shelter-count data to the council.
Barbara Richardson, director-level staff in Harford CountyHousing and Community Services, briefed the County Council on Dec. 2 about the countyfreezing-weather plan and related homeless-services operations.
Richardson said the freezing-weather plan is developed annually by the local homeless coalition and is activated in consultation with the county Department of Emergency Services based on forecasts (usually with 48–72 hours' notice). Once activated, outreach teams from the Harford County Community Action Agency (HCCAA) contact known individuals and offer placement into emergency shelters, the rotating church-operated shelter, or a warming center as overflow.
She told council members the county decided to stop using motel vouchers after finding the program had been abused and costly: last year the county spent about $60,000 on motel placements, and the practice sometimes drew non-residents who waited until after hours to be placed by law enforcement. Instead, the county will rely on congregate emergency shelters, rotating church shelters and a warming center (the Edgewood Senior Center will be used as overflow when needed), with law enforcement helping with after-hours transport.
Richardson said Harford County partners with nonprofits including the Welcome One emergency shelter, Hartford Family House, Anna's House, and the Hartford County Community Action Agency, which manages coordinated entry and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) that tracks placements and wait lists.
Council members requested historical data on motel placements, bed nights and shelter origins; Richardson said HCCAA holds that data and will be asked to appear at the next council meeting to provide counts and bed-capacity details. She also described an ongoing community development grant-supported renovation at a church in Aberdeen intended to serve as a warming center; permits and incomplete renovations had delayed its use as a shelter site but county staff said they will continue to work with the congregation.
Richardson emphasized the county's priority: "Nobody is going to be left out in the cold." She noted activation decisions use both temperature thresholds and professional judgment from the Emergency Operations Center and described outreach and law-enforcement coordination for after-hours placements.
