Every day, “Charles L.,” a 40-year-old homeless man, stands along South President Street in Baltimore a few blocks from the Inner Harbor, looking for any aid from passing motorists.
As the temperature dipped below 30 degrees Monday afternoon, one driver handed Charles something much more valuable than a loose dollar or a fast food coupon.
Charles received a sleeping bag.
“I said, ‘Thank you!’ ” Charles said, standing at South President and East Pratt streets, clutching his new sleeping bag and a piece of cardboard that read “Homeless, Please Help.”
“It’s going to be a cold winter,” Charles said, the day after he slept on the sidewalk in front of the Pier V Parking Garage on East Pratt Street, huddling close to sewer holes and the warm steam that rises from below.
With temperatures now dropping well below freezing overnight, Baltimore’s homeless such as Charles are bracing for a long winter, looking for warmth and shelter wherever they can.
The question is whether the city’s homeless shelters can meet the increasing demand.
“Our phones have been ringing off the hook, all day, every day and night, from people trying to get out of the cold,” said Pastor Edward Robinson, president and chief executive officer of Agape House on North Carrollton Avenue. “We just have no room whatsoever. We are at capacity.”
The shelter assists women and children only, able to serve a maximum of about five families, or 20 to 30 people. “Any donations will help us,” Robinson said. “Blankets, food, coats and cash is always helpful, too.”
An estimated 3,000 people are homeless in Baltimore, according to the 2007 Baltimore City Homeless Census, the most recent city homeless data.
The figure was considered a minimum estimate at the time.
Almost a quarter of Baltimore’s homeless have received college-level education, and about 70 percent of Baltimore’s homeless said their primary need was shelter, according to the census.
“They are from all walks of life,” said Kenny Weir, volunteer services coordinator at Helping Up Mission on East Baltimore Street.
Helping Up Mission can accommodate 50 to 60 men each night, and Weir said the shelter is at capacity from mid-October to mid-April.
For $3, the men receive a meal, a shower and a bed for a night. Many of the men who stay at Helping Up Mission are regulars and have gained temporary employment through the mission’s New Creations work program.
“Without a doubt, we can’t accommodate everyone, but if it’s freezing, we’ll find a place for you,” Weir said. “I wouldn’t want that on my conscious, leaving someone out in this cold.”
If Charles L. doesn’t sleep in front of the parking garage, he’ll “ride the bus all night” or head over to Helping Up Mission.
“When it’s this cold, it’s definitely uncomfortable,” Charles said. “If I sleep outside, I feel the temperature, but I don’t let it get to the point where it jeopardizes me.
“Life’s a struggle, but you’ve got to keep trying,” Charles said. “I’m still surviving.”
Staff Writer Emily Campbell contributed to this article.
