The long debate in Howard County over where to put a consolidated crisis center is changing direction as advocates try a new tack - splitting homeless shelter beds off from other emergency services.

Andrea Ingram, executive director of Grassroots, the county's privately run homeless shelter, told county politicians yesterday that social agency leaders now hope to expand and renovate her 32-bed shelter, adding 18 beds at its location next to Atholton High School on Columbia's southern fringe.

Ingram said the new plan, which would seek a home for other crisis services elsewhere, was, in part, a response to a mounting homeless crisis in Maryland's richest county.

In October alone, Grassroots turned away 260 of the 275 requests for shelter the agency received - a figure that appeared to shock County Councilman-elect Ken Ulman, a west Columbia Democrat, who asked where all those families were going.

Ingram said they must go elsewhere - part of a pattern of sloughing off social problems that has not endeared wealthy Howard County to other, less prosperous places.

"Other jurisdictions are not happy to take Howard County's homeless," she said, noting that "We have a reputation for exporting our problems."

Ingram said the social service agencies hope to find another location to build a center to deal with domestic violence and sexual abuse problems as well as nonresidential emergency mental health screening.

Until now, the plan had been to build a $6.5 million, 33,000-square-foot building for all the services in one place.

Ingram revealed the idea at a meeting with state and county legislators at Owen Brown Interfaith Center in Columbia.

Representatives of a variety of social service groups tried to impress on the officials the county's growing social service needs, even as the politicians face a state budget crisis. The event drew about 130 people and was sponsored by the Association of Community Services.

Needs broken down

Last month, when all the officials on the podium were busy running for election, Grassroots had more than 2,000 hot line calls, 42 people came in for emergency crisis counseling, and there were 12 mental health emergencies that required the mobile crisis team. The police reported 69 child runaways, 86 juvenile arrests, 203 domestic violence calls, 47 psychiatric emergency calls, 10 suicide attempts and 39 victims and children were sheltered by the domestic violence center after suffering or witnessing abuse in their families.

"We need our leaders to be leaders," said Judy Clancy, director of the nonprofit Domestic Violence Center, urging the officials not to shrink from supporting social needs despite the budget pressure.

Ingram said later that despite good economic times that left governments flush with cash in the late 1990s, state budget cuts "destroyed mental health services" in Maryland. Human needs, she said, often get short shrift regardless of the budget picture.

As originally proposed, the private crisis center would have combined services at one location instead of at three sites, but three suggested locations in or near Columbia provoked sharp protests from nearby residents last summer. County Executive James N. Robey has stayed away from the issue, repeating last week that the crisis center is not a county project.

Ingram said requests for shelter have been increasing for years, but took a big jump about three years ago.

She noted that the popular idea that poor people may be attracted to Howard County from elsewhere is wrong. Grassroots will not provide temporary housing for anyone who has not been a county resident for at least three months.

Some of Howard's social problems can and do affect anyone - not just the poor, she said, adding that the tension produced by the sniper attacks and the realization over the past year that "we cannot guarantee anyone's safety anywhere, at any time" have added to the calls for help.

"More people are going to need crisis services," Clancy said, noting the Dec. 18 start of a state law making protective orders obtainable 24 hours a day, seven days a week instead of just during weekday work hours.

"This is really homeland security, when kids live with domestic violence. When something bad happens out in the world, people want to go home where they feel safe. When home is not safe and you're a 9-year-old kid, it has a huge impact on kids and whole families," Clancy said.

Funding priorities

Several officials said the crisis center and more mental health funding would be their top priorities next year, and one, Del. Elizabeth Bobo, advocated a revamping of the tax system to provide more help to those who need it.

State Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer, a Democrat, said mental health funding is his top human services priority this year, and Bobo agreed that "mental health has to be right up there on top. I cannot believe that one of the wealthiest states can't afford to take care of its people," she said, calling for an overhaul of the tax structure to provide help for people.

Republicans pledged their support, too, and state Sen. Sandra B. Schrader said she plans to continue strong support for the crisis center. "I'm not going away. I'll continue to work until we cut the ribbon on the doors."

Councilman Allan H. Kittleman, a western county Republican, said despite his being "a mean old Republican, I think government should help those who can't help themselves. I do think the crisis center is very important."

But all are mindful of the state's looming $1.7 billion budget shortfall. "We're playing defense this year," said Del.-elect Neil Quinter.