Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott Secures $18 Million Deal to Turn Hotels into Homeless Shelters

BALTIMORE— Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott’s administration has finalized an $18 million deal to turn two hotels into shelters for community members experiencing homelessness.

The city has committed to purchasing a Sleep Inn and the Holiday Inn Express located immediately next door to it, as well as the parking lot between the two hotels.

In a statement, Mayor Scott said about the deal, “The acquisition of these hotels is a critical expansion of our ability to address the needs of our most vulnerable residents.”

The funding comes from allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money and the hotel project was initiated in response to Baltimore’s housing crisis.

“The lack of affordable housing has significantly contributed to the increase in people experiencing homelessness around the country and right here in Baltimore City. This purchase aligns with our commitment to address immediate shelter needs, as well as put the city on a path to create permanent supportive housing opportunities for our most vulnerable populations in the near future,” insisted Ernestina Simmons, the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services Director. “I am grateful to Mayor Scott and all of our partners for recognizing the value of this opportunity as we work to make homelessness rare and brief in Baltimore City.”

Why aren’t more cities doing this with hotels and empty office space? What do you think?