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PRESS RELEASE
Mayor Young Launches Text-to-Give Campaign
BALTIMORE, MD. — Today, Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young joined with Jerrianne Anthony, Director for the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) to launch The Journey Home’s Text-to-Give Campaign. This new initiative aims to support the Baltimore City Action Plan on Homelessness. Text-to-Give is a new mobile fundraising method which allows people to donate to causes they care deeply about via text message.
“Making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring in Baltimore City is a personal goal of mine,” said Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young. “Homelessness is an extremely complex issue that requires a community-wide approach. This new text-to-give campaign will not only provide residents a safe method to support a worthwhile cause, but will also educate the public about homelessness and promote compassionate ways to support those in need.”
Individuals and families experiencing homelessness have different needs. Some may have just landed a job and need support with transportation while others may need assistance with their apartment’s security deposit. Donations to the Text-to-Give Campaign will allow MOHS and community partners to flexibly and effectively respond to these needs. In recognition of the importance of donors’ privacy, MOHS’ fiscal agent, The Baltimore Civic Fund, has provided The Journey Home with a highly secured Text-to-Give software that will safeguard donors’ information.
“Homelessness is absolutely solvable and we often hear from community members that they want to be a part of the solution,” said MOHS Director Jerrianne Anthony. “While we work diligently to implement an Action Plan that more seamlessly connects people to economic and housing stability, there are still capacity constraints that we must overcome. Text-to-Give provides an easy way for residents to assist us in creating a ‘culture of care’ that promotes dignity and makes housing a reality for each of our neighbors.”
To pilot this new initiative, there will be signage placed at high traffic intersections around the downtown area. The selected intersections all have high pedestrian and vehicle traffic and oftentimes constitute hot spots for panhandling. The new signage will be placed at the following locations:
- Charles Street & Pratt Street
- Conway Street and Eutaw Street
- Conway Street and Light Street
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard & Read Street
- 400 Block of East Pratt Street
- Centre Street & Guilford Avenue
- Fallsway Drive and Madison Avenue
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