Partners gathered an event on September 12, 2017 to celebrate the expansion of Housing Upgrades to Benefit Seniors (HUBS), a program that provides home modifications and repairs, as well as wraparound services, for low-income older adults who wish to remain independent. The celebration took place from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the Civic Works’ Clifton Mansion, located at 2701 St. Lo Drive in Baltimore. Mayor Catherine E. Pugh was the featured speaker at the event.

In Baltimore City, more than a quarter of all owner-occupied homes are owned by older adults, and 17 percent of all older adults in the City live below the poverty level. Because members of this population are more likely to live on a fixed income and experience limited mobility, they often have substantial housing needs. HUBS was created in 2015 to connect many of these vulnerable older adults with services for which they are eligible. The project has been successful, but limited funding and systemic challenges have hampered the initiative. The result is a backlog of more than 600 low-income older adults waiting—some for as long as three years—to receive vital home repairs to their roofs, furnaces, and hot water heaters.

To eliminate this current backlog, and to ensure prompt service moving forward, partners, along with Baltimore City and Maryland state dollars, have pledged funds to create a total program budget of nearly $12 million.

HUBS Partner Organizations:

• Action in Maturity
• Banner Neighborhoods
• CHAI: An Agency of The ASSOCIATED
• City of Baltimore
• Civic Works
• GEDCO
• Green and Healthy Homes Initiative Baltimore
• The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
• Hoffberger Family Philanthropies
• Keswick Multi-Care
• The Leonard and Helen R. Stulman Charitable Foundation
• Meals on Wheels
• Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore
• Rebuilding Together Baltimore
• Sinai Hospital of Baltimore
• Strong City Baltimore