Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s Bold Move: Transforming Baltimore Hotels into Shelters for Homeless Residents

In a significant move towards addressing homelessness, Mayor Brandon M. Scott of Baltimore, MD, has fulfilled a promise made three years ago by securing a deal to purchase two hotels, Sleep Inn & Suites Downtown Inner Harbor and Holiday Inn Express Baltimore-Downtown. These hotels will be transformed into long-term shelter spaces for the city’s unhoused residents. Mayor Brandon M. Scott expressed his satisfaction with the deal in an Instagram post, thanking various partners for their collaboration in securing a fair agreement for the city.

Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s Bold Move: Transforming Baltimore Hotels into Shelters for Homeless Residents

Baltimore’s Homelessness Challenge: Scaling Solutions Amid National Rise, Delays, and High-Quality Site Selection

The Sleep Inn & Suites has 62 rooms, while the Holiday Inn has 90 beds spread across 68 rooms. However, the number of rooms acquired fell short of the initial target of 100 to 200 rooms per hotel, which was aimed at supporting 600 residents.

Despite a 3% decline in homelessness within Baltimore in 2023, national homelessness increased by 12% according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Additionally, Maryland has seen a rise in evictions since 2023, based on state judiciary data.

Baltimore’s homelessness officials had hoped for the hotel deals to be finalized sooner. However, delays arose as the Scott administration ensured that the selected sites were of high quality, safe, and suitable for long-term housing solutions. Jeff Garrett, chair of Baltimore’s Continuum of Care board, emphasized the need for sustainable, long-term solutions rather than simply adding more shelters, which can lead to warehousing people without addressing the root causes of homelessness.

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Baltimore’s $18 Million Plan to Combat Homelessness: Mayor Scott’s Proactive Initiative

The next step in the process is to obtain approval from Baltimore’s spending board for the $18 million purchase agreement, which includes $15.2 million for the hotels themselves. Additionally, $3.2 million will be allocated to the current management group for nine months of maintenance and operations.

This move signifies a proactive approach by the city to tackle homelessness, reflecting Mayor Scott’s commitment to the well-being of Baltimore’s most vulnerable residents.

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