Megan Canterbury recently got a dunning letter warning that the electricity would be shut off at her Lansdowne home if the bill wasn't paid soon.
The warehouse worker, separated and caring for her 4-year-old son, needed extra help.
When she looked online for options, she came across Southwest Emergency Services.
Stopping in at the Arbutus nonprofit eight days before her power was to be cut off, she received guidance and support. The group paid a portion of her utility bill and provided a shopping cart of groceries, enough to last for a week.
"It is definitely wonderful. I never even knew it was here," said Canterbury, 33, a lifelong Lansdowne resident. "It's definitely a blessing."
As winter approaches, programs and services for those in need, including the homeless, are preparing for a seasonal rise in the demand for everything from foodstuffs to clothing, a warm bed and meal, or payments to utilities or landlords for overdue bills.
While homelessness has held steady or been declining since the Great Recession from 2007 to 2009, according to state and federal statistics, demands on local groups that help remain constant.
"We just thought we'd be a temporary thing," said Betty Okonski, director of Southwest Emergency Services, founded 35 years ago. "I wish we weren't needed, but we definitely are."
"The recession was a low time, especially for jobs," said Megan M. Rigos, the executive director of Catonsville Emergency Assistance, a neighboring nonprofit. "People are getting jobs now, but it's about getting a job that pays enough ... so they can make ends meet." When they can't, they reach out for support.
"We get a very consistent level of people in yearlong," Rigos said. "We help when people have spent all of their money on groceries, so they need money for rent or utilities."
Making progress
Baltimore County, which in 2013 adopted a comprehensive 10-year plan to end homelessness, has seen a few spikes in the number of people without permanent shelter, but since 2008 the number of homeless served has remained around 3,200 to 3,600, according to Jason Burns, human management information systems administrator for the county.
The county plan to includes an outreach program to link the homeless with resources and housing, a shelter diversion program, which focuses on providing housing alternatives to individuals and families, and building new shelters.
In 2013, 6,284 shelter requests were received. Of those callers, 1,618 were placed in a shelter and 5,367 were turned away for a variety of reasons, including a lack of space or placement in another program, such as one for people with behaviorial health problems.
By 2016, requests dropped to 5,045. The county's statistics are based on fiscal years, which start in July.
This year, the county has spent $2.3 million in funding homeless shelters, including Westside Men's Shelter in Catonsville that serves the southwestern county, according to Colleen Mahony, chief of policy planning and administration for the county's planning department.
An additional $163,000 is budgeted for shelter diversion alternatives, $215,000 for street outreach and $302,000 for rapid rehousing programs.
Baltimore County has four year-round emergency shelters, providing 348 beds, and is building a center for women and children in Rosedale that is scheduled to open next spring.
In addition, the county is making inroads in finding more permanent housing. In 2011, the rate of people leaving shelters for permanent housing was 27 percent. By 2015, the rate was 70 percent.
Burns credits the improvement to having more funding available for case managers who help with life skills, such as budgeting and resume-writing classes, and rapid rehousing specialists who are focused on getting people jobs and connecting them with landlords.
"While case managers are working with the homeless in shelters, rapid rehousing specialists are trying to find them housing quickly," Burns said.
Safety-net network
Federal, state and county governments have relied on nonprofits, churches and other private groups to provide services to the needy, according to a report prepared last fall for Maryland legislators by state policy analysts, with the types and levels of assistance varying widely.
Over the years, a network of area providers has formed and they communicate regularly to help people and fill gaps in government programs.
"That is our role," said Rigos, of Catonsville Emergency Assistance. "We're there when people don't qualify (for a particular program or assistance) or when they are waiting for help, the check to arrive."
The Catonsville nonprofit, formally founded 30 years ago, notes "participation of local churches has been the backbone ... since the beginning," and the group relies on assistance from service clubs, private donors and benefactors, and businesses for support. A portion of its $114,000 annual budget comes from a county grant earmarked for "eviction prevention," providing rent payments.
"We see ourselves as in a symbiotic relationship with (area) churches," said Rigos, the executive director since 2014.
At Southwest Emergency Services, the Arbutus nonprofit last year provided $60,452 to prevent utility shutoffs for 240 clients, an increase from $44,858 in 2010.
One goal of Southwest Emergency Services, which is primarily supported through donations and a thrift shop on its premises behind Arbutus United Methodist Church, is to keep people from becoming homeless.
By helping with utility, rent, gas and grocery expenses, it helps those in need stay in their homes. The nonprofit has no beds, nor does it give out meals. But for the homeless, it provides a shower and toiletries, clean clothing and a small bag of uncooked food.
Director Okonski hasn't kept track as far as how many have come in for help this year, other than flipping through a daily sign-in log for financial assistance. Some days had more than a dozen names on it. Others had as few as four.
When the first day of school came and went, those in need arrived to get school supplies. As the weather gets colder, the nonprofit will start to give out blankets and jackets.
"Our issue is to try to give the best care we can to everyone who comes through our door," Okonski said. "It's not keeping stats and figures."
When the holiday season arrives, toys and gifts will be the focus. Children's bicycles are collected throughout the year and stored until the holiday season when they can be given as gifts.
Monique Jones, of Randallstown, who has volunteered at Southwest for 12 years, said it becomes a magical time of year at the pantry. She's pleased to see that parents in need can have a stress-free holiday and their children will be happy during a time when heating bills can cut heavily into family budgets.
"It's basically like you're in Walmart," she said. "You're able to walk around and shop and pick out the gifts, and pick out toys," Jones said. It's just like shopping. They have a shopping cart, they get to pick out things."
All of the groups rely heavily on volunteers like Jones and they depend on donations of cash, clothing and food. Catonsville Emergency Assistance, for example, keeps an updated list of needs on its website. Currently its pantry can use jelly, cake and brownie mix packages, dry soup, small boxes of rice, oatmeal, canned fruit, large boxes of mashed potatoes, cereal, canned meals and spaghetti sauce.
A new $3.4 million shelter on the campus of Spring Grove Hospital Center in Catonsville, the Westside Men's Shelter, opened last year. Construction of a new Eastern Family Resource Center for women and children in Rosedale is expected to be completed by June, with an opening as soon as July.
Michael-Sean Adams, manager of Westside, anticipates a busy winter after what he called "an amazingly busy summer."
The shelter, which has 125 beds and an additional 25 reserved for days when the weather is extremely hot or cold has been at capacity for the last three to four months, he said.
Adams said 74 percent of those who stay at the shelter move on to permanent housing.
In fiscal 2016 — July 2015 through June 2016 —the shelter housed 240 men. This year, its on pace to serve as many, if not more, he said. He receives five to 10 calls for shelter assistance day.
The shelter is partnering with three churches to prepare meals during the last week of November, including Thanksgiving Day. Adams has sent out wish-lists to community partners to ensure donations of coats, scarves and hats.
"Christmas and Thanksgiving are good around here," he said.