#Camp83 Updates from Bonnie Lane
Bonnie Lane
! People will be out at rush hour 5-6 pm holding signs at camp. Join them.*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
“Everyone Deserves to Go Home”
The 16 individuals listed below live in an encampment under I-83, the Jones-Falls Expressway. The City has announced that they will “evict” them from the place they call home on Friday, March 8, 2013. People will be forced to leave or will be arrested. City workers will discard belongings, documents, and medication, rather than provide people with the housing they so desperately need.
· Mel
· Jaimie
· Nate
· Tracy
· Charlie
· Bobby
· Rich
· Wolf
· Clay
· Liz
· Martin
· Kim
· Turk
· Venus
· Mike
· Cedrick
We are “Housing Our Neighbors,” and we believe that housing is a human right. We believe that human beings should never have to call a tent their home. Therefore, homeless individuals and advocates will be gathering at the encampment, on the west side of the 800 block of the Fallsway (across from Central Booking), at 6:00 am on March 8th to prevent the planned eviction and/or to help move their belongings into housing.
We urge our elected officials, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and the Baltimore City Council, to demonstrate their commitment to “The Journey Home: Baltimore’s 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.” Stop the planned eviction of the camp under I-83 and move each person experiencing homelessness into safe, affordable, and dignified housing.
Ending homelessness requires:
· Access to affordable housing
o The City owns approximately 4,000 vacant houses. It is shameful that “we, the people” own the resources that “the people” so desperately need. Let’s not allow these homes to sit empty when there are people who need them.
· A living wage
o The market rate for a one-bedroom apartment ($1,000 per month) requires a “minimum wage” of $17.31 per hour unless the rent is subsidized. However, the actual minimum wage is just $7.25 per hour. This means that you need more than three minimum wage jobs to provide for your basic needs!
· Adequate assistance for Marylanders with a disability
o Temporary disability assistance payments (TDAP) for our neighbor who cannot work are just $185 a month. Thus, even those who are in the “safety net” cannot afford a place to live.
· Enforcement of inclusionary zoning laws
o These policies require affordable housing in all new developments.
Baltimore is a wonderful city, full of amazing people. Let’s show our neighbors the true Charm City by taking action to ensure that everyone can go home.
For more information, please contact "Housing Our Neighbors" at housingou...@googlegroups.com or Rachel Kutler at 443-745-8950.