Services are located nearby and everything is accessible to public transportation. The Baltimore City Police have agreed to help the residents establish neighborhood watch programs, and several neighboring community organizations are going to hold crime prevention workshops for the new residents of the Bon Secours Apartments. That's the housing side of Operation ReachOut. These services will, of course, be open to the residents of the new apartments, too. A Job Skills bank is under development, and we are working with neighborhood organizations and the police on anti-crime strategies.
Some people wonder why a hospital is getting into the housing business.
Decent, affordable housing, like decent, affordable health care, is a requirement for success. In neighborhoods like ours, I don't think we could get housing developed without nonprofits, and without a program like the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. For all the reasons we've talked about, investment has to be encouraged. The Housing Credit does this, and it is also better targeted, provides housing for a longer term, and is more closely monitored than earlier housing programs. It is one of the few tools available to attract capital to economically depressed neighborhoods.