Helping Up Mission

The Helping Up Mission, founded in 1885, has a long tradition of serving homeless men in Baltimore City. Approximately 85 percent of the men served at the mission are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol with an average addiction period of 17½ years. For many years, the focus of the mission was primarily emergency services – meals, clothes, showers, and lodging. In the early 1990s, HUM expanded its services, instituting a long-term residential recovery program for homeless men. The Spiritual Recovery Program (SRP) provides a structured therapeutic community with supporting services such as adult basic education, legal services, computer literacy, 12-step programs, work therapy, job placement assistance, and health education. In the fall of 2004, the mission opened its 50-bed transitional facility, which allows an SRP graduate to stay up to three years at the mission.

Over 400 men are admitted and treated on an annual basis and average length of time in the program is nine months. Two-year post-graduate studies consistently indicate that 70 percent of those who graduate from the Recovery Program are still drug-free and alcohol-free and are employed. In addition, Helping Up Mission provides 600 meals each day, more than 220,000 meals per year, 76,650 nights of shelter annually, 3,650 outfits of clothing per year, 18,000 pieces of clothing distributed annually, and over 1,500 chapel services and educational classes conducted each year.

In 2004, the Foundation awarded HUM a $250,000 grant to support the renovations of one of its facilities located at 1017 East Baltimore Street, which provides long-term (up to three years), transitional housing for 50 graduates, and an expanded Innovative Learning Center providing job training support, a computer bank, GED preparation, and tutoring along with administrative offices. In 2005, HUM purchased 1023 East Baltimore Street, the only non-mission building remaining on the block. This building required significant renovations, including a new dining and kitchen facility, and accommodations for the Spiritual Recovery Program residents (an additional 60 individuals will be served).

The Abell Foundation provided an additional grant of $250,000 in 2007 for the demolition and rebuilding of HUM’s 1029 East Baltimore Street facility. The building is over 100 years old and was in danger of being shut down for not meeting current state building codes. The new construction will provide a safe, temperature-controlled space, which will be used to provide supportive services for the 400 men in the Spiritual Recovery Program to include: adult basic education training, legal services, counseling services, medical and dental assistance, health education, computer literacy, 12-step program, work therapy, and job placement assistance. The new facility will provide space for staff offices, classrooms, conference room, library, multi-purpose room (with a seating capacity of 280) and a recreation area. This site will also include adormitory which will provide for 60-70 emergency overnight guests each night.

Access the Helping Up Mission website.