The Baltimore Sun: Marian House an example of how Baltimore can be saved | READER COMMENTARY
June 23, 2022
Thank you, Dan Rodricks, for sharing your reflections on “Our City of Perpetual Recovery” (”Dan Rodricks: Baltimore getting back to normal, and normal is always a mixed bag here,” June 17). This name well defines the beauty and complexity of Baltimore. The overarching problems of homelessness, addiction, criminal justice, poverty, racial inequality and violence are complex, entangled and deep rooted in Baltimore.
They are the challenges we face in our daily work at Marian House. With 40 years of service, Marian House is a safe, sober and loving environment that challenges women to respect and love themselves, confront emotional and socio-economic issues and transition to stable and independent lives.
We help women face all of the problems you mentioned (and more) head on and overcome them to become the best versions of themselves. Our approach is holistic and based in modalities to give women and their families a life free from addiction and poverty.
Mr. Rodricks speaks truth that many people make assumptions about the availability and the access of services to those needing help. The road to recovery from homelessness (and the host of problems associated with it) is complicated: filled with long waiting lists, a one size fits all approach to housing, bureaucracy, flawed policy and underfunding.
The couple housed by the church is a good example. They needed more than housing! They needed long-term supportive services like mental health care, recovery assistance, connection to health care, financial literacy training and assistance securing employment.
That’s what we do at Marian House. Former residents remind us that without the supportive services from Marian House they likely would be in active addiction or dead. Yet our rehabilitative program was defunded by the federal government and city offices because we would not follow a “housing first model.” The solution to ending homelessness is more than just free housing. I agree if “we can devote more resources, finally, to solve more of the individual problems at the root of the big ones,” Baltimore can begin to see change.
— Katie Allston, LCSW-C, President and CEO of Marian House
WJZ-TV 13: Marian House Celebrates 40 Years of Helping Local Women
April 19, 2022
For 40 years, Marian House has given a new start to women overcoming addiction, incarceration and homelessness. Denise Koch has the story.
(Click blue link above to play video)
