Homelessness presents serious challenges to Calvert County, despite its wealth.
As in many rural areas, the homeless are largely invisible here. The physical setting of the County, much of it wooded, with few public areas that invite the homeless to congregate to panhandle, accounts for some of the lack of awareness of the problem. Also, the wealth of the County creates the impression that extreme poverty could not exist here. This impression worsens the problem of invisibility – we don’t see what we think cannot exist.
Unfortunately, the impression is mistaken. A recent study (ALICE) by United Way shows that fully one third of the residents in Calvert County either are currently homeless or have no economic reserves, living on insufficient income, and at risk of homelessness should an illness, or temporary loss of work hours or transportation occur.
Another cause for confusion about the problem of homelessness here is the distinction between “homeless” and “unsheltered homeless.” Published data shows a very low number of the unsheltered homeless, leading citizens to believe that we have no such problem. However, there are two problems with this assumption. First, the number of unsheltered homeless is very difficult to determine, given the counting methods being used. Second, most of the homeless in Calvert County are sheltered, temporarily. They sleep on the sofas of friends and relatives, or are incarcerated, or in rehab centers, or shelters. None of these are reported. They are still homeless, many of them chronically homeless. And, according to the Continuum of Care, of the regions in Maryland, only in Southern Maryland are fewer than one-half of the homeless are sheltered.
Lack of awareness results in little public will to create programs to serve this population. Citizens assume that if there is any particular need, government and other social programs address the problems of the homeless. And, yes, we do treat their illnesses (the health department and hospital); we address their addictions (the behavioral health department); we provide food (through pantries and food stamps).
And Calvert County does support Project Echo, a shelter for the homeless, and Safe Nights, a church-sponsored shelter that operates during the winter months. However, Project Echo can only house 40 persons, and requests for admission are often denied because of a lack of space. Even when Safe Nights is in operation, the two combined do not offer enough beds for applicants.
Project Echo and Safe Nights are intended as short-term emergency housing. Sometimes that is all that is needed for clients to get back on their feet. But more often than not, the situations that result in homelessness cannot be remediated in 90 days (Project Echo) or one winter season (Safe Nights). Too often, their term expired, clients emerge from the programs still homeless and helpless.
These shelters are not designed to provide the kind of services that would directly address the problem of chronic homelessness resulting from ill health, disability, mental impairment, addictions, lack of education, and criminal history. Lack of shelter and food are only the first of many unmet needs experienced by the homeless. As important as food and shelter, the homeless need acceptance and human warmth. They need to know that they are valued and respected. They need a foundation for hope.