02-26-2023 Harford Magazine - Flipbook - Page 9
D
aniel Stoltzfus, who
recently became CEO at Helping
Up Mission, first became aware of
and interested in social services
as a 19-year-old doing street
outreach in New York City.
Helping Up Mission’s
new CEO takes the
mission to the streets
medical treatment from Johns
Hopkins and have an opportunity
to reside in our recovery-oriented
community here at HUM,”
Stoltzfus says.
“It was the early 1990s, and the
drug problem and homelessness
at that time in New York was
rampant,” Stoltzfus says. “We were
trying to feed people and connect
them to places where they could
get help. One day, I walked into
the men’s room in the park where
we were operating, and there
was a woman on the floor with a
heroin needle in her arm. Growing
up in a small town in western New
York, I had not seen anything like
that before, but I had compassion
in that moment and knew this
was what I was supposed to
dedicate my life to... helping
others.”
Stoltzfus shared that recent
years have been challenging. The
COVID-19 pandemic forced HUM
to change how they delivered
services. “We continued to
have meals together – safely
distanced – because we feel that
community and connection is
what makes our patients feel like
this is a home and the best place
to work on their recovery,” he
explained. “Now, in 2023 we are
experiencing funding challenges
due to rising costs and inflation.
But through it all, HUM supporters
have rallied and continue to
make life-saving services possible
for Baltimore’s most hurting
neighbors. And for that we are
truly grateful.”
Stoltzfus joined HUM in 2018
after meeting then-CEO (and
current President Emeritus) Bob
Gehman. “I was very impressed
with the partnerships that
HUM has with so many great
institutions such as Johns Hopkins
University and Greater Baltimore
Medical Center... Having those
collaborative partners embedded
on HUM’s campus is fairly unique
in social services.”
Since 1885, Helping Up Mission
has impacted the lives of those
experiencing homelessness,
poverty and addiction in Greater
Baltimore by providing individual
care that addresses their physical,
psychological, social and spiritual
needs. Its 24-hour Hotline for Help
Now, (410) 929-6999, is available
for people who need help.
Now, after doing community
outreach on the streets of New
York all those years ago, Stoltzfus
is excited that Helping Up Mission
is taking outreach to the streets
of Baltimore. HUM established a
mobile Street Outreach Program
in 2022 along with community
partners. A converted school bus
offers people food and connects
them to resources such as job
training, recovery programs and
housing resources.
“We are proactive and go into the
streets to let people know who
we are and how we can help,”
Stoltzfus says. “You cannot force
someone to be ready for help, but
we are there when they are ready.
When people are sick and tired of
being sick and tired and they are
ready for some help, we are there
to catch them and to help them
take that next step.”
HUM’s East Baltimore Street
headquarters has 500
beds for men, and the new
145,000-square-foot Center for
Women & Children allows the
organization to serve a total of
250 people – 200 women and 50
children. Stoltzfus says that HUM’s
partnership with local health care
organizations is critical to success.
Johns Hopkins’ Cornerstone Clinic
is on HUM’s campus and provides
substance abuse counseling for
both women and men. Stoltzfus
says that HUM has a new initiative
with Johns Hopkins Bayview
Hospital to bring women to HUM
who are addicted to opiates
or other substances and are
pregnant or have just given birth.
“They will continue to receive
For more information, visit
HelpingUpMission.org
Provided by Helping Up Mission.
This paid post is produced by Helping
Up Mission. The newsrooms and editorial
departments of Tribune Publishing Co.
are not involved in the production
of this content.
“Along with the bus, we deploy
our HUM van so we can do intakes
right on the street and perform
mobile case management,”
Stoltzfus says. “When people
are interested in our recovery
program, we sign them up.”
He says that HUM has identified
places where people gather in
Baltimore City, and frequently
individuals choose to leave the
street and come back with the
street outreach staff to enter
HUM’s program.
harfordmagazine.com | Spring 2023 |
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