Howard County launches 5-year plan to resolve homelessness
Howard County leaders are aiming to end homelessness through a five-year plan, Executive Calvin Ball announced Wednesday.
"The Path Toward Zero: Howard County's Strategic Plan to End Homelessness" is a guideline on resolving homelessness in the county. The initiative was developed through a partnership between Howard County's Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Coalition to End Homelessness.
County leaders said the plan details the major goals and interventions to achieve "functional zero" over the next five years, when the number of people experiencing homelessness is consistently below the community's capacity to house them.
"The Path Toward Zero builds upon our progress already made and further lays the foundation for transformative, long-term solutions that ensure everyone in Howard County has a place to call home," Ball said in a statement.
Plan to end homelessness
The five-year plan ensures the county and its non-profit partners are able to meet the needs of the community by expanding some critical projects.
The county's plan includes DHCD's first non-congregate shelter along US-1 in Laurel. Ball will break ground on the 20-room facility on December 3. The facility will provide short-term private shelter, comprehensive assessments, and immediate referrals to housing and critical services.
The Grassroots Crisis Intervention's emergency shelter capacity will soon be completed, expanding to 88 beds. This project will increase the capacity of the shelter by 72%.
Under the Path Toward Zero plan, the county would restructure the assessment process to increase access to some services, expand prevention and diversion strategies to reduce the number of homeless people and increase housing interventions that lead to permanent solutions.