Time spent at The Baltimore Station can be the beginning of a hopeful new phase, rather than a time of aimless desperation.

- Tim Williams, Former Executive Director

In 1987, two caring women, Gloria DeBarry and Jaye Burtnick, and an activist minister, David Pollitt, took action to address the very evident homeless problem in South Baltimore.  They began by providing blankets and serving hot food to homeless individuals sleeping on the street.  As their attachment and concern grew, they eventually opened Gloria's office each night to bring in as many people as they could accommodate sleeping on the floor.

At the end of the first winter, Rev. Pollitt organized and chaired the Task Force on Homelessness in South Baltimore.  The Task Force established a part-time station during the cold weather months and continued to study the homeless problem.  They concluded a need for a permanent station in South Baltimore and in May 1989, the South Baltimore Homeless station was established as a not for profit organization.

For several years, The Baltimore Station functioned as a part-time, emergency station that was open during the winter months.  Its location alternated between the former clinic building of South Baltimore General Hospital and the basement of Christ Lutheran Church near the Inner Harbor.  Former Executive Director Tim Williams recalls, In those days, we provided a hot and a cot. The door opened at 7 in the evening and the station was emptied at 7 in the morning.  Access was on a night by night basis, so we had a large and intense group lined-up at the door every night.

In November 1991, The Baltimore Station found a new home and a new mission.  The organization moved a few blocks away to an old fire station to begin a transitional station for men who were homeless by reason of substance abuse.  "The Baltimore Station decided to specialize in helping homeless addicts and alcoholics because practically everyone we saw in the emergency setting was a substance abuser.  Our focus shifted from meeting their inherent needs for food, station and clothing to giving them a chance to get off the street for good.  We wanted to help them find a way out of the destructive cycle in which they were trapped," said Williams.

The men's program, also known as the South Baltimore Station, has been offering second chances and new beginnings to men since 1991 and plans to serve the community for many years to come.

Aware of the need for station among homeless women and children, The Baltimore Station opened an emergency facility in the basement of Christ Lutheran Church in 1993.  Due to inadequate funding, the station for Women & Children closed for a few years, but opened once again in 1997 to provide crisis care.  In October 2001, the operation of the station for Women & Children was turned over to Christ Lutheran Church so that The Baltimore Station could direct its resources and attention to developing a longer-term program for women and young families.  That program is currently under development.