Over the past decade, a broad continuum of services has been developed and implemented which helps meet the needs of homeless families and individuals in Maryland. In 1984, the Homeless Services Program was established to create and administer programs designated for the needs of homeless people. Concurrently, in 1984 a Women's Services Program was developed through the cooperative efforts of the Maryland Commission for Women and advocates for women's issues. Among other programs, this new unit focused efforts towards coordinating funds for the needs of homeless women and children. Together, the Homeless Services Program and the Women's Services Program nurtured the evolvement of a continuum of care for homeless individuals and families.
Emergency shelter is the first line of defense against the perils of homelessness.
Programs for homeless people, first implemented by the Homeless Services Program and the Women's Services Program in the early 1980's, help to provide an emergency response to homelessness. These programs extend services by providing funds for motel placements and emergency shelter facilities. In addition, domestic violence shelters, which were originally started in the early 1970's, provide emergency shelter for homeless women and children. In combination, these programs provide emergency placement for individuals and families. With homelessness continuing to increase in the mid-1980s, providers and advocates, as well as the Governor's Advisory Board on Homelessness, recognized the critical importance of longer term shelter combined with services, referred to as transitional housing.