Community

Every two years, Baltimore’s Homeless Services Program leads a count of the city’s homeless population as part of requirements for federal funding.

Web Extra: Gabby Knighton with details of the city's homeless census that begins January 28th

Web Extra: Olivia Farrow on whether homeless services are getting the money they need to address the problem

It's been forty years since Baltimore's zoning code saw a major overhaul. What's new? We ask city planning director Tom Stosur.

Anonymity on the Internet can lead to more honest conversation. It can also protect so-called "trolls" who publish misinformation and offensive material. Lately, vigilantes have unmasked some high profile Internet trolls. We ask our social media analysts Nathan Jurgenson and P.J. Rey if some of the unmaskings have gone too far.

The last time Baltimore saw a major revision of its zoning code, Thomas D’Alesandro III –“Little Tommy” -- was mayor, the Baltimore Colts were Super Bowl champs, and Baltimore-native Spiro Agnew was vice-president. That was 1971.

Web Extra: Much more of our interview with Stosur, including more on zoning for taverns, urban farming, and the port.

Maryland voters approved same-sex marriage at the ballot box on Tuesday, marking a shift in public opinion that’s been occurring over the last several years.  Same-sex marriage had been defeated 32 times by voters across the country prior to Tuesday night.  Now, Maryland will join eight other states and the District of Columbia in allowing same-sex marriage.

Web Extra: Beyer and Evans on the importance of hate crime legislation.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has proposed her own plan to deal with the vacants in Baltimore.  It’s called Vacants to Value, and she launched it in November 2010.  The program focuses on selling the vacants in specific transitioning neighborhoods. 

According to a new Abell Foundation report, encouraging Baltimore police officers to live in the city could help reduce crime. Yet the report found that nearly 72 percent of employees of the Baltimore Police Department live outside of the city. Our guest: the report’s author, Matt Van Itallie, on why so many officers chose to live in the suburbs and how providing housing incentives could help lower the crime rate.

Conversation originally aired August 3, 2009.

The transition to adulthood is difficult for many young people--but factoring in a dysfunctional home life and the emotional distress that most youth in foster care are burdened with--turning 21 or "aging out," can make impending adulthood, far more challenging.