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The harsh reality is this: Homelessness exists in Caroline County.

Unhoused in Caroline

Part 1 of a 3-part series examining the problem of homelessness in the county

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DENTON – Whether the unhoused sojourn in one of two homeless shelters in the county, crash in someone’s camper in the back yard, or camp out behind a shopping center, they are here.

And they hope their neighbors will recognize them as, simply, neighbors.

In this 3-part series, the Caroline Review will explore the reality of homelessness in Caroline County, the attempts to help those who are unhoused, and what the future may look like.

According to a recent report by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, each year, 25,000 Marylanders will “experience homelessness at some point during the year.”

In Caroline County, “there are hundreds of reasons why people wind up homeless,” said Kat Stork Blaher, facilitator of Caroline Better Together. “Housing instability is a factor for many, many people as well, and as things get worse, more people fall into homelessness.”

Stefanie Johnson, executive director of His Hope Ministries Homeless Shelter in Denton refers to her guests as “those experiencing a housing crisis.” There’s a stigma attached to the word “homeless,” she said.

The causes of homelessness are many and varied. Johnson described some of the people she has encountered.

“In most cases, it's people that have been living with family, and that family member passes away, and the house gets sold,” Johnson said. “We've seen people who have lost their houses because of lack of income. We do see people that experience a housing crisis through substance abuse. We've had people that have come out of jail and found themselves without a house and just want to get a fresh start.”

A housing crisis doesn’t necessarily result in homelessness. Nonprofit organizations such as His Hope Ministries and Martin’s House and Barn in Ridgely try to provide help by working alongside the Department of Social Services to provide assistance with rent or help with bills “to keep them in the housing where they are, before they end up coming to us seeking shelter.”

According to a Nov. 10, 2024, story in Maryland Matters homelessness among adults aged 65 and older increased by 77% between 2018 and 2024. With fixed incomes, rental increases among seniors are difficult, if not impossible, to overcome.

“The issue that I've come to understand, in a very limited basis, is that we have a housing problem,” Blaher said. “This is not unique to Caroline County. This is happening across the Shore. It's happening across the state, happening across the country.”

“The cost of housing, the lack of inventory of housing at all levels, whether we're talking about middle class workforce housing all the way to subsidized housing – there's just a lack of inventory,” she said. “And when there's a lack of inventory, lack of supply, then the demand for it also then sets the costs of rentals, and market rentals are really, really high.”

In Caroline County’s tight rental market, the typical monthly rent is now between $1,500 and $2,000, according to Johnson.

Caroline’s homeless population is not always homegrown. As the DHCD scans the horizon of possible shelters to house Marylanders, it isn’t unusual for someone from a distant county to be housed here temporarily.

According to Danielle Meister, DHCD assistant secretary of homeless solutions, “We only have one permanent housing assistance opportunity for every 10 people that experience homelessness when it comes to federal and state funds.”

“So, for every 10 people that need something, we only have one permanent housing opportunity, which can be really challenging when you're talking about folks who might have really complex needs, might have a disability and may need a subsidy to get back on their feet, or rental assistance. We only can serve one person out of 10 with that intervention right now, based on federal and state resources.”

Of the 25,000 Marylanders who will experience homelessness sometime this year, “over 4,300 Marylanders experience chronic homelessness, meaning they have a permanent disability and have been homeless for over a year.” Because of “disabilities and their long-term duration of homelessness, most chronically homeless households have zero income (68%),” according to the Nov. 14, 2024, report by the DHCD.

Two positive indicators Meister sees among the five Mid-Shore counties are decreases in homelessness among veterans and among the chronically homeless. “Also, the Mid-Shore has a chronic homelessness rate that is lower than the rest of the state, which I think is awesome,” she said. The Mid-Shore counties are Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Talbot and Dorchester.

“About 6% of people who experience homelessness (on the Mid-Shore) are chronically homeless, whereas statewide that's closer to 14%, and at a national level, closer to 16%,” Meister said. The Mid-Shore counties “tend to have lower rates of those severe disabilities compared to other communities. And then I think the other thing that is really interesting is just how much coordination and regional response effort there is for places like the Mid-Shore.”

If you need assistance or would like to volunteer your services, visit carolinebettertogether.org.