Mayor Catherine Pugh is expected to release her $350 million plan to curb homelessness next week. But, tent city organizers tweeted the mayor isn’t moving fast enough.
“I have no. No. Next!" said Pugh dodging a question today at her weekly presser.
"You know what I’m going to say?" said one reporter.
"Well I think if you go on Facebook I think you will see differently," retorted Pugh.
The question dodged was about multiple tweets sent to her from Baltimore BLOC, a homeless advocacy group, which read:
“The Mayor will release her homeless plan today, but can we trust her after violating the 8/23 #TentCity Accord?”
Can we get your availability for a meeting about the violations of the #TentCity accord? Since one of them is your office's failure to meet? https://t.co/8Cj7oaubfv
— Baltimore BLOC (@BmoreBloc) October 4, 2017
The accord was a written agreement between the Mayor’s Office of Human Services and the tent city organizers. Pugh promised in August to move Tent City participants into permanent housing as fast as possible. But six weeks later, participants say, they’re still waiting.
The Mayor did mention that she has received praise on Facebook for devising a plan to care for the 3000 homeless people in the city.
"I got a message on Facebook," said Pugh. "Thank you for your commitment for making sure we do get housing.”
Pugh also said the 65 participants of tent city were placed in temporary housing at the old, dilapidated William Pinderhughes Elementary School and 25 of them have been given permanent housing.
