The City of Baltimore recently underscored the growth of Maryland's Medicaid Supportive Housing Waiver with a focus on the upcoming statewide expansion slated for FY 2025. In a gathering at City Hall, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, flanked by representatives from state and city agencies, nonprofits, and local hospitals emphasized the mission to alleviate housing insecurity amongst the city's most vulnerable populations. Since its inception, the program has assisted nearly 300 households in Baltimore alone, with plans to expand this success across the state, as reported by the City of Baltimore.
In an address to attendees, Mayor Scott affirmed, "Housing is one of our most important, basic needs as human beings – and access to safe and stable housing brings the mental, physical, and emotional security that can have a dramatic impact on other parts of one’s life, including their health." According to a recent press release, various city hospitals contributed the necessary "match" over the last five years, enabling the Assistance in Community Integration Services (ACIS) pilot to secure the required matching funds and demonstrate its efficacy.
Ernestina Simmons, the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) Executive Director, expressed gratitude for both state-level support and the local investment that contributed to the pilot's success. According to a statement obtained by the Mayor's Office, Simmons highlighted the importance of case management alongside housing, particularly for those who are chronically homeless or part of medically vulnerable households.
The ACIS program, also known as the Medicaid supportive housing waiver, initially funded by the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, offers support services to Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic health conditions, including housing tenancy support and financial management. Notably, most participants also receive housing vouchers through the Baltimore City Housing Authority (HABC). The President & CEO of HABC, Janet Abrahams, told the gathering, "The first wealth is health, and housing is completely critical to individuals flourishing. Those without stable shelter and housing stability are affected in many ways – with medical decline being one of those ways," She stated, as reported in a recent press release.
The pilot's success in Baltimore stands as a testament to public-private collaboration, with local hospitals providing decisive financial backing. This program has shown tangible benefits, like a 19 percent decrease in some beneficiaries' hospital service use, which includes Emergency Department visits. "Most importantly, it demonstrated what we all know to be true – housing is health care, allowing our unhoused neighbors the stability necessary to improve their health status in a dramatic and meaningful way," Redonda Miller said, as detailed in the recent press release, a president of Johns Hopkins Hospital, in a release. Findings from a 2023 study by the University of Maryland Baltimore County's Hilltop Institute further reinforced the program's positive impact on decreasing emergency service utilization.
