Baltimore parents express concerns over plan for emergency shelter next to charter school

Parents of students at KIPP Baltimore, a charter school, say they're concerned about a plan that would use the building next door as an overflow emergency homeless shelter during the winter months.

The Mayor's Office of Homeless Services said this will officially become an emergency overflow shelter starting Saturday and lasting until March, but only as a backup option if it's below 32 degrees and the other three shelters are full. 

They say the school and parents will be notified if they need to use this facility.

"The parents are concerned, the community is concerned," said Audrianna Taylor, a parent. "Also, just why wasn't that part of the process, or even including the opinion of the community?"

Concern for safety

Parents of KIPP Baltimore students told WJZ they were shocked when they found out through the school that the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services is planning to use the former Edgewood Elementary School as an emergency overflow shelter this winter.

The facility is barely 50 yards from KIPP Baltimore, which serves children as young as 4 years old.

Parents say the operating hours of 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. overlap with high activity times at the school, when many students could be outside.

"There are kids doing after-school programs, there are children from other schools who use our fields for practice, and a lot of these children are unsupervised," Taylor said.

"We know that some of our unhoused population may have mental health issues," added Quiana Dunn-Gordon, a parent and a member of the school's Board of Directors.

When would the shelter be used?

According to the Mayor's Office of Homeless Services, the facility would only be used as an emergency shelter if the temperature drops below 32 degrees and the other shelters are full.

They also say residents would only be outside for supervised smoke breaks.

Parents said they want to be part of the conversation.

"We want them to have places to go, even temporarily during the winter months," Dunn-Gordon said. "Our position is the facility should not be next to KIPP Baltimore, which is an active, very large public elementary and middle school."