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The Historic Linden House

The Historic Linden House

The historic Linden House was built in 1886 and was the home of David Bachrach and his family for many years.  Mr. Bachrach was a prominent commercial and portrait photographer who built the house nearly two decades after he photographed Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg at the time of his Gettysburg Address. His brother-in-law, Ephraim Keyser, who headed the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Rinehart School of Sculpture, had his sculptor’s studio at the rear of the property, where it remains and has also been handsomely renovated. The Women’s Housing Coalition has renovated the main house and a detached former studio into five affordable apartments.

We, at Women’s Housing Coalition, partnered with Episcopal Housing Corporation to renovate this Reservoir Hill landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Linden House allows Women’s Housing Coalition to provide housing and work with five women and children who were homeless who want to take control of their lives and need help to lead stable lives for the rest of their lives. The home has been reconfigured, with four affordable apartments in the main residence and another in the Keyser sculpture studio.

The house was designed by the prolific Baltimore architect George Frederick, who gave us our City Hall and many other landmarks, including St. James the Less Roman Catholic Church in East Baltimore. A large handsome late 1880’s wooden structure, this house is 6,200 square feet, including the backyard art studio. Its sheer size, nearly twice the size of other Baltimore homes in the area, contributed to its list of vexing rehab issues. Normally we build in brick, but the house was built of wood covered with wood siding. After years of sitting abandoned, the wood rot was considerable. “It was in horrible, horrible condition. Nobody knew what to do with it,” said Mark Sissman, director of Healthy Neighborhoods. “There were enough pieces of the original staircase left to duplicate it,” said Daniel McCarthy, executive director of Episcopal Housing, who was a consultant for the restoration. Bits of the interior wood finish survived — in pieces. All were painstakingly copied and reinstated in this thoughtful and well-funded restoration. The Linden House can now serve as a model for restoration, neighborhood stabilization, and effective supportive housing.  The renovation was funded by Healthy Neighborhoods, Inc., with the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, two funds under the federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, and the France-Merrick Foundation. Through this support and the guidance of Baltimore City’s Commission for Historical & Architectural Preservation, this long-neglected historic home was preserved, such that it awarded the 2014 Baltimore Heritage Renovation and Restoration Award.

Looking Toward the Future

Looking Toward the Future

2019 was a big year for the Women’s Housing Coalition. For the first time in over ten years, we were able to add more units. Expanding from 98 to 108 households has given 25 families and 83 individuals a place to call home. 

In partnership with Kaiser Permanente, our residents were able to go to the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History & Culture on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The partnership also provided residents with the opportunity to access tools they will need for career success with professional headshots, a pop-up thrift store, resume/job readiness workshop, and motivational speakers.

Events like this along with our ongoing life skills programming that focuses on mind and body health help ensure that our residents have all of the support and experience they need to create goals and meet them. 

Inside the Women’s Housing Coalition we also had some exciting changes to make sure we are meeting the needs of our growing number of residents. We have new staff members, including a part-time Case Manager and an Inspection Coordinator who is bridging the gap between Case Managers and inspections that we must comply with through the City. Our residents often struggle with having the skills to maintain their home, working with their landlords to get repairs completed, or letting strangers into their homes. The Inspection Coordinator is working closely with them and their Case Managers to build trusting relationships that will make this process easier on them and avoid triggering trauma. 

You may have noticed that the WHC also received a brand refresh to help us grow awareness for our organization! We designed a new logo and color scheme to freshen up our marketing at DesignFest, which was hosted by The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and sponsored by the T. Rowe Price Foundation.

Our new and improved website launched in June and shares our mission, resident success stories, and makes supporting the WHC easy for our donors.

We look forward to 2020 with high hopes for even more growth as we celebrate our 40th year of helping to end the cycle of homelessness. 

We invite you to help us celebrate at our annual event, Windows of Opportunity,  on April 1st from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

As we reflect on all we’ve accomplished over the last 40 years, we are hopeful for a future where every person has access to safe, affordable housing.

The Women’s Housing Coalition is Celebrating 40 Years!

The Women’s Housing Coalition is Celebrating 40 Years!

It’s time to celebrate!  The Women’s Housing Coalition is commemorating 40 years of providing housing support to individuals and families who have experienced the trauma of homelessness. 

For 40 years we have supported our residents as they regain their self-confidence, and acquire the life skills necessary for them to become stably housed and provide a safe and enriched environment for their children to thrive and excel.

It is the generosity of organizations, foundations and individuals like you that enables us to provide housing, case management, and other vital services to the most vulnerable in our communities.  

Our 40th Anniversary Gala celebration will take place in the wonderful Reginald F. Lewis Museum on Wednesday, April 1st, 2020, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.   

We are asking for your support as we take this opportunity to recognize MaryAnn Scully, (President, Howard Bank) for her commitment to ensuring all women have a seat at the table and Carol B. Payne (HUD Baltimore Field Office Director) for her commitment to ensuring there are more and bigger tables for all women to be seated at.

It is only through your help that we are able to change people’s lives by working with our clients to end housing instability. 

Thank you for your continued support.

The Spirit of Giving

The Spirit of Giving

The holiday season is a time for being with family and enjoying the magic of Christmas on little one’s faces. For many, the holiday season is the hardest time of the year.

What would you do if you had nowhere to sleep? How do you explain why there is no Santa for your children?

According to the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, approximately 2,669 men, women, and children in Baltimore City are homeless on any given night.

This year we are thankful for all of our volunteers and donors who have helped us create stability for 83 individuals and 25 families have a place to call home this holiday season.

“Me, my husband, my two sons, and my grandson were all living in the same home.  I knew that if something happened to my husband that we wouldn’t be able to afford rent.  He was really sick, and that’s what happened.  

I went to a shelter that had a 30-day stay.  I ended up staying there for 3 months because they liked my attitude.  A lot of girls would come in and their spirits were broken and I had that uplifting thing.  I like to make people laugh so I kept them laughing and they kept me around.  

I went to stay with my mom, from my mom I went and stayed in my storage unit.  I stayed in my storage unit for about a year and a half, maybe two years. I found a social worker who helped me.  She was the best; she was only supposed to help me one year but she helped me two years because she liked my attitude.  She got me into the Bennett House. Once I got that key in my hand I said ‘nothing is ever gonna be the same’ and it hasn’t.  

That was three years ago.  I’m ready to get out there and do it on my own.  With my husband, I was with him for 32 years, I never had to pay a bill.  Once I got here it taught me the responsibility of, you have to pay your rent, you have to buy your own food.  I’ve learned how to budget my money…”

“I like the women at the Bennett House.  There’s always good ones… Veronica is a gem.  When they put her in here they knew what they were doing.  She’s like a mentor. She makes sure that you pay your rent every month.  She knows that was something hard for me to do, to pay my rent, because I never had to do that before…”

“To me, WHC has been the greatest experience of my life.  And I’ve had some good experiences and I’ve had some bad; this is the greatest.  It helped me plant my feet and it gave me stability. I’ve grown a lot and I’ve learned a lot.” – Christine

There is a long waitlist for people who housing in programs like the Women’s Housing Coalition. With your help, we can continue to grow and help more people individuals and families have many happy holidays to come.

Make a donation today: https://squareup.com/store/womens-housing-coalition

Every Person Has Value

Every Person Has Value

Imagine feeling like you aren’t someone of value to society. People pass by but never look at you. You have been homeless for several years, moving from shelter to shelter and from friend’s house to friend’s house. You are running out of options. It is not safe staying outside alone. What would you do? Would you continue the daily trudge of moving night after night? How long can you keep this up?

In Leslie’s case, she was able to get housing and supportive services here at the Women’s Housing Coalition where she found hope and friends who cared. She discovered programming to help her grow in spirit and in stability. With the help of her case manager, Leslie started setting goals, then…meeting them. Now that she’s working a few days a week, she dreams of having her own place. With your support, we can help women like Leslie find value and achieve their dreams. “Women’s Housing Coalition gave me my life back, they really did: with the structure, with letting me see that I can be someone. I’m not just a homeless older lady; I am somebody. That’s what WHC brought back tome.” – Leslie

For Christine, losing her husband to a severe illness put her and her sons out on the streets. She was able to find housing for her sons, but she began bouncing from relative to relative until her only option was to live in her storage unit. Thankfully, Christine found WHC. Here she learned how to budget her money and use her case manager as a mentor in responsibility. She found value. With your help, women like Christine can get back on their feet and find value. “To me, WHC has been the greatest experience of my life…It helped me plant my feet and it gave me stability. I’ve grown a lot, and I’ve learned a lot.” – Christine

Because of supporters like you, for the first time in over ten years, we expanded our housing and supportive services from 98 to 108 households. That’s 10 more opportunities for people experiencing homelessness to regain their value. 83 individuals (like Leslie and Christine) and 25 families have a place to call home this holiday season. Because of you, we are able to provide them with the tools to find stability. Our hope is that all of our residents will begin to recognize that they are more than the situation they were in. They are more than someone who experienced homelessness. They are somebody! They have value!

With your support, we can make our hope a reality.

Make a donation today:https://squareup.com/store/womens-housing-coalition

Senseless Violence in Baltimore City – Getting People the Support They Need

Senseless Violence in Baltimore City – Getting People the Support They Need

According to the World Health Organization, approximately 470,000 homicides occur globally each year. If you take into account suicide and war-related deaths, the number rises to over 1.6 million violence-related deaths. Millions more suffer violence-related injuries and trauma. 

Some of the dominant risk factors for violence are social disruption, poverty, poor interpersonal dynamics, insecurity, societal acceptance, and power imbalance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses the Social-Ecological Model to understand the factors that influence violence. This model shows that tragic acts of violence often rise from the complex interplay between individual, relationship, community, and societal factors. 

Individual factors that contribute to someone’s ability to be violent include age, education, income, substance use, or history of abuse. When identifying relationship factors, one looks at how a person’s close relationships influence their behavior and contribute to their experience. Settings, such as schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods, create the community factors that impact someone’s tendency towards violence. To identify societal factors, one looks at social and cultural norms that support violence as an acceptable way to resolve conflicts. 

Many cities that face high rates of violence are finding a way to create safer environments. They’re implementing policies and strategies that encourage mentoring for young children that actively engage communities in building solutions, and that create effective, accessible mental health services. The Group Violence Intervention (GVI) program has been called the “Boston Miracle” for its success in bringing their city’s youth homicide rate down 63%, and it’s being implemented in other cities around the world. Effective violence mitigation strategies include social involvement, poverty reduction, interpersonal skills training, education, awareness, and community support. 

Baltimore has seen more than its fair share of violence this year. How can we create a safer Baltimore?

At the Women’s Housing Coalition, we are doing our part to support our community by creating stability with proper housing, offering counseling and other programs to ensure success and relieve stress for our families and individuals. We also support our residents with continuing education for our staff by attending trainings like Mental Health First Aid.  Mental Health First Aid trains coaches, police officers, teachers, faith leaders and other caring individuals to look for signs of mental illness and how to respond with appropriate intervention strategies.

Senseless acts of violence can make us feel helpless, but there are ways that you can take action to prevent violence.

There is much that we can do in our cities and towns to build connection, caring and community. Citizens of all races and ethnic backgrounds can work together to make our lives better. Baltimore has a wide range of programs that offer mentorship and educational opportunities to our youth and disadvantaged citizens. 

You can volunteer your time and talents in a way that will create a huge impact on others. Programs like MBRT connect students with volunteers and mentors to ensure high school graduation and make college an option for everyone. You can donate money to an organization like Women’s Housing Coalition or the many Maryland Nonprofits that step in and assist people in the ways they need it most. 

Preventing violence is a civic responsibility, and only together can we translate individual good deeds into community change.