Main Street Housing, Inc.
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Mission & History

Our Mission: Main Street Housing, a peer-operated organization, creates life changing housing opportunities and empowers people living with mental health disabilities to have a place to call home.
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Main Street Housing, Inc. began as a program of On Our Own of Maryland in 1999 and incorporated as a subsidiary organization in 2001. The founding members had extensive experience in the public mental health system and recognized an opportunity to both improve the quality of life for countless individuals and families and to help transform how the sector conceptualized of housing for people with disabilities.

Historically, housing opportunities for people with psychiatric disabilities and low income have been tied to their participation in mental health services. This creates a paradox: achieving more independence and psychiatric wellness can place a person's housing in jeopardy.

With the support of leaders in the mental health consumer movement and state administrators, Main Street Housing, Inc. launched as a consumer-run organization with an effective and recovery-based model for the development of affordable, independent housing in the community – one that allows people to be Tenants, not patients.

Although we lease exclusively to individuals and families with psychiatric disabilities, we firmly believe that being a good tenant should be the only fundamental condition a person has to meet to maintain quality, permanent housing that allows real recovery and wellness to happen.  Learn more about our award-winning “Main Street Model.”

History
  • 1999: Main Street Housing is developed as a program of On Our Own of Maryland, Inc.
  • 2001: MSH is incorporated as a separate non-profit organization
  • 2002: Purchased our first property in Washington County
  • 2004: Expanded into Howard County
  • 2006: Expanded into Harford County
  • 2007: Purchased multiple properties on the Eastern Shore (Caroline, Dorchester, Queen Anne's Counties) from the non-profit agency Shore Alliance for Independent Living and our first property in Frederick County
  • 2008: Expanded into Talbot County and Allegany County
  • 2009: Expanded into Carroll County
  • 2010: Expanded into Anne Arundel County (City of Annapolis)
  • 2013: Expanded into Baltimore City
  • 2019: Expanded into Baltimore County and greater Anne Arundel County
  • ... with continuing development!
MSH endeavors to continue expansion each year until we develop housing in every jurisdiction in Maryland. See our current Property Locations.
"Main Street Housing [has an]
impressive track record in providing affordable quality housing for people with mental illness in Maryland."

National Council for Behavioral Health
2013 Reintegration Award: Housing
(emphasis added)

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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission & History
    • Our Main Street Model
    • Organization & Staff
    • Awards & Publications
    • Contact Us
  • Life on Main Street
    • Property Locations & Application Process >
      • MSH Properties
    • Reporting Live from Main Street Newsletter
    • Tenant Tales
    • Local Resources
  • Support Us
    • Community Partners
    • Donate or Volunteer >
      • Door to Door
    • Join Our Email List