Samuel Jordan is the founder of Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition and a visionary for change. His work centers around social and cultural initiatives to develop the often overlooked demographics within the state of Baltimore; partnering with the Innovative Housing Institute to raise awareness for the non-elderly disabled (NED) population.
Modern statistics reveal increasingly alarming rates of homelessness in Baltimore City alone, approximating 1,600 men, women, and children with no fixed abode, on any given night. The combination of a lack of affordable housing, limited access to comprehensive support services, and low-income opportunities fosters a challenging situation for those in good health – however, for those with disabilities or chronic illness, the dangers of homelessness pose a far greater threat. Samuel Jordan recognizes this pertinent reality and focuses his efforts on providing relief for the homeless and the non-elderly disabled.
Samuel underscores his aims: “For those with disabilities, aged 62 and younger, there are several additional barriers concerning education, transportation, and healthcare. The current US landscape is riddled with inequities and for those under the NED categorization, the situation is especially testing.”
The Innovative Housing Initiative was established to provide affordable housing opportunities through re-housing programs and technical consulting services for people in vulnerable positions. Reflecting a decade-long issue within Baltimore, the current homeless crisis reflects a shortage of 96,000 residences and an underproduction of new housing by an average of 5,600 units per year. In turn, this lack of supply has contributed to doubling the amount of household income required to purchase a median-priced home in the state of Maryland.
Currently, the Baltimore Housing Authority offers an open registry period to connect low-income and disabled individuals with affordable housing initiatives. Despite this, Samuel Jordan highlights some unfortunate flaws within the system, commenting: “There is a 10-day registry period where thousands of Baltimore residents signed up for assistance in October of 2023, yet there exists a backlog of 3-4 years of data. This means that much of the current data is no longer accurate as previous applicants have since relocated and are now registered to different addresses than when they first signed up. In turn, they are entered into a long queue that could leave them waiting for three to four years before they are housed.” With homelessness affecting individuals on a systemic level, Samuel unearths a vital opportunity to make a change that would impact the community at the ground level.
As the founder of the Baltimore Transit Equity Coalition – also known as BTEC – Samuel offers an insightful solution for some of the leading causes of homelessness across the region. As the BTEC initiative seeks to develop new transport services in and around Baltimore, he hopes to see additional developments surrounding the new transit stations – these would include employment opportunities and the creation of livable and walkable communities. Today, Samuel hopes to expand his footprint and continue to offer supportive services for underserved and often overlooked communities. Alongside his BTEC organization which is increasingly gaining momentum, he hopes to acquire and manage properties to grant additional housing opportunities across the city of Baltimore.
