09-12-2021 Hall of Fame - Flipbook - Page 43
Baltimore Sun Media | Sunday, September 12, 2021 43
ADVERTORIAL
S
New Center Will Allow
Helping Up Mission
to Change Lives for
Women and Children
ince 1885, Helping Up Mission, Inc.
(HUM) has profoundly impacted the lives
of those experiencing homelessness,
poverty and addiction in Baltimore by
providing individual care that addresses
their physical, psychological, social and
spiritual needs. What started as providing
emergency services – meals, clothes and
lodging – expanded to a comprehensive
initiative that offered a long-term
residential recovery program for homeless
men striving to overcome addictions.
A few years ago, HUM began offering a
residential recovery program for women at
a small facility on Chase Street; however,
CEO Bob Gehman, who has been at HUM
for 27 years, realized that HUM needed to
do more to meet the needs of women in
the community.
“The men we served have significant
others – wives, girlfriends and daughters
– and addiction creeps through families.
If a man finishes our program and then
goes home to a girlfriend who is addicted,
he is more likely to relapse,” says Gehman.
And with approximately 900 women
experiencing homelessness each night in
Baltimore where they face a greater risk
of sexual assault, the need to help these
women is more profound.
With this in mind, HUM embarked an
ambitious plan to construct a new
145,000-square-foot Center for Women
& Children near HUM’s men’s campus on
E. Baltimore Street that will allow it to
serve up to 200 women and 50 children.
The Center will hold a ribbon cutting this
December and begin admitting its first
women residents in 2022 (the women
currently housed in the Chase Street
something so beautiful is amazing.”
Before design of the Center for Women &
Children began, Gudeman traveled to several
sites across the country to gain insight on how
best to build a women and children’s center.
“We learned that you can’t place women in a
dorm setting like you can men; women need
more space. And with children arriving soon,
we needed ample playtime and educational
space, as well as upgraded security. We
learned from our men’s facility to provide a
private intake space to give them dignity,”
Gudeman says. He notes that the children’s
center will have a state-of-the-art learning
center, nursery for pregnant residents, play
areas and even a play ship to explore.
Frank and Gayle Kelly III, Helping Up Mission – Inspiring Hope Campaign Chairs,
Bob Gehman, CEO – Helping Up Mission.
location will move in first) with women with
their children arriving in 2023.
“The stabilization offered by a residential
setting is critical to success. Women get new
clothes, hygiene products and onsite hair
and beauty services to provide dignity and
respect. It’s important to take away all barriers
and challenges so that they can focus on
their addiction and develop a personal view
of the future. This is their time to dream,” says
Gehman.
Steve Gudeman, volunteer and former staff
and board member, is passionate about his
We can’t fix everything.
BUT WE CAN
FIX THIS.
involvement with HUM. “I live by the premise
that you learn the first third of your life, earn
the second third and give back the last third
of your life. This is my calling and the most
rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life to be
able to see firsthand men and women putting
their lives back together and reconnecting
with their families,” he says.
Tom Terranova, Project Manager at Colimore
Architects, the architectural firm designing the
new center that has worked with HUM for 14
years, adds, “This project has special meaning
for us. The opportunity to provide something
nice for people who may not feel worthy of
Jim Colimore, Principal at Colimore Architects,
says that one goal was to build a welcoming
space, beginning at the entrance’s beautiful
landscaping and gas lanterns. Outdoor
terraces on each level and a rooftop deck
with areas for adults and children are a plus in
an urban setting, Colimore notes. “All design
elements were incorporated to support
healing and renewal for residents,” he says.
Terranova notes that residents can add their
own decorative touches to provide a sense of
ownership.
Gehman says that when children arrive with
their mothers in 2023, it will benefit both
parties. “If mothers can have their children
with them and are assured they are being
cared for, they are less likely to leave the
program too early. I’m so excited to have this
place full of 200 women and 50 children!”
For more information on the new
Center for Women & Children, visit
https://helpingupmission.org/WeCanFixThis.
PLEASE GIVE
More than 900 women experience homelessness each
night in the City of Baltimore. Helping Up Mission’s
new Center for Women & Children opens soon to offer
meals, shelter, and life-changing hope.
Help welcome them home. Learn more at
HelpingUpMission.org/WeCanFixThis
The Center for Women & Children