Privatization of Baltimore’s Public Housing: Residents and Union Workers Speak

Privatization of Public Housing in BaltimoreMarch 24, 2014 – Segment 3

We continue our coverage of the privatization of public housing in Baltimore. We begin this discussion with an update on the Rental Assistance Demonstration program (RAD), the national initiative behind the privatization, from: Jeff Singer, Founder and former Executive Director of Health Care for the Homeless and instructor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work; and Jessica Lewis of the Right to Housing Alliance.

We talk with residents of public housing: Floyd GrossFloyd VinesMitch Peterson and Mark Schumann. Schumann is a formerly homeless resident of the Wyman House building, one of the public buildings scheduled for privatization. He is also the editor of Baltimore’s street newspaper, Word on the Street, and a member of HON (Housing Our Neighbors). We also examine the impact that privatization will have on people who work inside those buildings, with: Anthony Coates, President of AFSCME Local 467; and Lucky Crosby, Sr., a maintenance mechanic who has worked for the Housing Authority of Baltimore City for a decade.

LINK