National Homelessness Awareness Month – A Call to Protect the Vulnerable

November is National Homelessness Awareness Month, a time to confront one of the deepest moral challenges facing our communities. When we picture homelessness, we may think of someone on a street corner holding a sign, yet for many, it looks like a child sleeping in a car, a mother choosing between rent and food, or a teen drifting from couch to couch.

Across the United States, according to the 2024 HUD Point-in-Time Count, approximately 653,104 people are without stable housing on any given night, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Among them are families shattered by job loss, veterans struggling with trauma, and children who still try to attend school each morning. Behind every statistic is a name, a story, and a longing to be seen.

Homelessness and human trafficking are closely connected, bound by vulnerability and desperation. Traffickers prey on people who are searching for safety and stability. They offer promises of love, work, or shelter, then take everything instead. The National Human Trafficking Hotline (Polaris 2023 Data Summary, www.humantraffickinghotline.org) reports that nearly two-thirds of survivors had experienced homelessness or unstable housing during their exploitation. Imagine the fear of having nowhere to go and someone offering you warmth and food, only to become your oppressor. This is the reality for far too many.

According to the Maryland Interagency Council on Homelessness and the 2024 Maryland Statewide Homelessness Report, approximately 6,300 individuals experience homelessness each year, and over 400 are youth or minors. In Harford County, according to the 2024 Continuum of Care Point-in-Time Count, approximately 170 individuals experience homelessness on any given night on any given night. Many more are “hidden homeless,” staying in motels, their cars, or temporary spaces that offer little safety. For them, each night brings uncertainty, and for traffickers, opportunity.

Yet there is hope. In every corner of Maryland, organizations, volunteers, and faith communities are stepping up. HopeWorks Global, for instance, continues to advocate, educate, and empower, turning compassion into protection. We must all recognize that ending homelessness is more than building shelters; it is about rebuilding lives.

Here are ways we can all help:

1. Educate and raise awareness. Share facts, stories, and resources about homelessness and trafficking.

2. Support shelters and outreach teams that provide safe spaces and trauma-informed care.

3. Advocate for systemic change, affordable housing, mental health access, and fair wages save lives.

4. Volunteer or mentor those transitioning out of foster care or homelessness.

5. Report suspected trafficking by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or texting HELP to 233733.

Ending homelessness restores dignity, safety, and hope. Every act of kindness, from donating a meal to making a phone call, creates a ripple of protection that reaches farther than we imagine.

Take Action:

• Connect with HopeWorks Global to learn how you can support human trafficking prevention programs in Harford County.

• Visit www.211md.org to find Maryland-based shelter and resource directories.

• Report any suspicion of trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to 233733.