PR - Homeless Shelter (2)
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Transcript of PR - Homeless Shelter (2)
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LAWYERS FOR HOMELESS PERSONS, ACLU DECRY DISCRIMINATORY
DENIAL OF SHELTER BEDS TO HOMELESS WOMEN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 25, 2011
CONTACT:
Meredith Curtis, ACLU of Maryland, 410-889-8555; [email protected]; or
Carolyn Johnson, Homeless Persons Representation Project, 410-685-6589 x23,[email protected]
BALTIMORE, MD Deeply concerned that homeless womens lives are being
endangered because of Baltimore Citys discriminatory policy of providing overflowshelter beds only to men, the Homeless Persons Representation Project (HPRP)
and the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland (ACLU) have written to MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake asking for immediate intervention to remedy the unlawfulpractice.
It is incomprehensible that the City has chosen to provide overflow shelter space tohomeless men and not homeless women, said Carolyn Johnson, managing attorneyfor the Homeless Persons Representation Project. Homeless women who live onthe streets are particularly vulnerable to victimization, including physical and sexualassault. The Citys refusal to provide overflow shelter to women is shocking.
In July 2011, the City significantly reduced the number of shelter beds, from 350 to250,
when the 24-hour emergency shelter for single adults was relocated from 210
Guilford Avenue to the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Housing Resource Center onFallsway (the Center). In response to concerns about this reduction in beds and thehardships it would create, City officials repeatedly stated that the transition from theold shelter to the new shelter would not take place until a plan for additional overflowbeds was in place. But the City set up a plan for overflow beds for men only. Whenthe 175 beds for men at the Center are full, any additional men seeking shelter aretransported by bus to the 100-bed overflow shelter. When the 75 beds for women atthe Center are full, additional women seeking shelter are simply turned away to
sleep in the streets.
The Citys policy unlawfully discriminates against women in violation of the EqualProtection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and theEqual Rights Amendment to the Maryland Constitution.
Women are unlawfully being turned away from shelter to fend for themselves on thecold night streets, said Deborah Jeon, Legal Director for the ACLU of Maryland.The City is acting with disregard both for the safety of vulnerable women and for
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equal protection rights guaranteed by the state and federal constitutions.
Outrageously, women who have sought legal counsel to challenge the Citysdiscrimination recently have been subjected to threats of blacklisting if they do notabandon their legal claims. Women have been told by staff members at the shelterthat they will lose their beds and will be blacklisted for life if they speak with thelawyers. Such conduct is utterly unacceptable and illegal.
Due to the great risk of harm our clients face every night this policy continues, theimpending cold weather, and the retaliation by shelter staff, the organizations are asking
the Mayor to intervene immediately to remedy this unlawful practice, before it yieldsfurther tragic results.
Go to HPRP/ACLU letter to Mayor Rawlings-Blake online:
http://www.aclu-md.org/aPress/Press2011/letter_shelter.pdf
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