High levels of substance abuse and related crime
in Baltimore City are causing a significant deterioration in the quality
of life in communities throughout the City. Baltimore City has one
of the worst addiction rates in the nation. An estimated 10 percent
of city residents or 60,000 people are in need of treatment for drug
addiction. Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems funds 7,200 treatment
slots which serve 23,000 people annually -- approximately 38 percent
of those in need. In recognition that drug addiction is a complex
disorder that touches every aspect of an individual’s life and
one that can have a devastating impact not only on the individual
but on the community as a whole, the Foundation seeks to increase
access to substance abuse treatment and supportive services such as
housing and job training for the uninsured and drug addicted individuals
residing in Baltimore City. The Foundation works to increase the impact
and effectiveness of treatment services through cutting edge research
and support of innovative service models designed to reach underserved
populations.
The Foundation supports programs and initiatives that
increase public safety and reduce recidivism with a special focus
on initiatives that address the barriers facing the returning ex-offender.
A particular emphasis is placed on initiatives that provide transitional
housing and the necessary wraparound services to support a successful
return to the community.
Areas of interest include:
- substance abuse treatment, prevention,
and research
- support services
- prisoner reentry
- criminal justice system reform
- crime prevention
- juvenile justice
Operating as self-help
therapeutic communities for homeless men who have histories
of chronic substance abuse, two Baltimore Station facilities
provide long-term supportive transitional services.
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Criminal Justice and Addictions Highlights
Baltimore
Station, Inc.
The Baltimore Station, Inc. operates two unique transitional stations
for homeless men recovering from addiction. Using innovative strategies
to restore quality of life and productivity to the homeless, job
training, employment counseling, medical and legal assistance are
provided in a safe and supportive environment. These men are given
encouragement that promotes their ability to regain self-sufficiency
and become a valuable part of society again.
Gaudenzia
Long-term Residential Treatment Facility
Gaudenzia is a long-term residential treatment facility which serves
addicted adult men and addicted adult women and their children,
and has the medical capacity to serve addicted individuals with
HIV/AIDS and those with concurrent mental health disorders.
Expanding their
services from emergency services to the Spiritual Recovery Program,
a long-term structured residential recovery program, the Helping
Up Mission has recently made significant renovations to raise
the quality of life for more men in the program.
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Helping
Up Mission
Helping Up Mission currently owns the entire 1000 block of East
Baltimore Street and is using this space to “Build a Community
of Hope” for over 300 homeless addicts who want to recover
from the despair and pain of poverty and addiction.
Maryland
Re-Entry Partnership (REP)
REP was developed in 2001, in close collaboration
with the Department of Corrections (DOC) and other public and private
agencies, to provide ex-offenders with the tools necessary to build
a better life after prison. The Abell Foundation awarded funds toward
the start-up and development of the initiative, which links offenders
returning to the community with an integrated array of services
with operations housed in both East and West Baltimore.
Recovery
in Community
The Abell Foundation committed $2 million to implement Recovery
In Community, a drug treatment initiative that includes a street
outreach component, comprehensive case management and follow-up
services designed to rehabilitate, find employment, and bring stability
to the participant’s lives.
Women's
Housing Coalition
Founded in 1979, the Women’s Housing Coalition
(WHC) has been at the forefront in the development of housing options
and services to low-income and homeless women. It opened the first
Transitional Housing Program (THP) for women in Baltimore City in
1982 and has been providing comprehensive counseling and case-management
services to the homeless and low-income women in its THP program
for more than 20 years. Seventy-five percent of the women who have
participated in this program have successfully completed it, and
have returned to independent living in the community.
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