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As Baltimore heads into another pandemic winter, housing concerns persist

Baltimore rowhouses in the 400 block of E. 20th Street. Credit: Photograph by Eli Pousson+Baltimore Heritage/Flickr
Baltimore rowhouses in the 400 block of E. 20th Street.

Almost two years into the pandemic, the threat of eviction and homelessness looms large for financially insecure families.

Although Baltimore got millions in federal funds to forestall evictions, Karen Wabeke of the Homeless Persons Representation Project says her group is seeing more and more landlords refuse to take part, "We, along with partners in the Baltimore Renters United coalition, have advocated for the city to begin making direct to tenant payments. We have had clients who were evicted because their landlords refused the funding."

Find information about emergency rental assistance across Maryland here. Get information about rental and security deposit assistance in Baltimore City here.

Then we ask Irene Agustin, who's been heading the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services for six months, about preparing for the cold, and her priorities to make homelessness rare and brief. Find information about the 2020 Point-in-Time Count here. Learn how to volunteer for January's count here.

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.
Maureen Harvie is Senior Supervising Producer for On the Record. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and joined WYPR in 2014 as an intern for the newsroom. Whether coordinating live election night coverage, capturing the sounds of a roller derby scrimmage, interviewing veterans, or booking local authors, she is always on the lookout for the next story.