Helping Up Mission deploys new Mobile Street Outreach bus to expand addiction support across Baltimore City

A mobile hub designed for street-level engagement

Helping Up Mission has introduced a new Mobile Street Outreach bus intended to strengthen the nonprofit’s ability to engage Baltimore residents experiencing homelessness and substance use disorder. The vehicle replaces an older converted school bus that outreach workers had relied on for years, and it is equipped to support more structured, on-site interactions, including space for private conversations and improved food service operations.

The bus is used by outreach teams that return to the same locations on a consistent schedule each week, an approach intended to sustain contact with people who may cycle between shelters, encampments, and other public spaces. The program’s routine stops span multiple neighborhoods and corridors across the city, with staff providing basic supplies and offering pathways into longer-term services.

What services are offered from the bus

Helping Up Mission’s Mobile Street Outreach work centers on immediate, tangible support coupled with referrals and case management. The new bus expands the operational capacity for these activities in the field, including a designated area where case managers can meet one-on-one with individuals and begin assessments without requiring an immediate trip to a facility.

• Distribution of food and hygiene supplies
• Provision of naloxone (Narcan) and other harm-reduction materials
• Case management assessments and referrals to treatment, shelter, and supportive services
• Transportation assistance for some individuals seeking entry into Helping Up Mission’s longer-term recovery programming

Funding tied to opioid litigation restitution

The bus purchase and related service expansion are connected to Baltimore’s opioid restitution funding—money stemming from litigation and settlements involving pharmaceutical companies tied to the opioid crisis. In August 2024, Baltimore established a governance framework for restitution spending through an executive order that set spending parameters focused on prevention, treatment, recovery, harm reduction, and related social determinants of health, while also creating an advisory structure and long-term planning requirements.

City documentation associated with the restitution effort lists Helping Up Mission among organizations that have received support through settlement allocations, alongside a broader portfolio of initiatives aimed at reducing overdose deaths and strengthening the local continuum of care.

Context: overdose trends and ongoing risk

Baltimore’s outreach expansion comes amid shifting overdose patterns. Publicly available dashboards and citywide reporting have shown declines in fatal overdoses after prior peaks, while localized overdose events have continued to occur—underscoring the ongoing risk faced by people using drugs in public settings and the pressure on front-line response systems.

The new bus is structured to combine basic-needs support with immediate connections to case management and recovery-entry pathways, operating as a mobile point of contact for individuals who may not otherwise engage with formal services.

How the initiative fits into the broader service network

Helping Up Mission’s street outreach model is designed to bridge a common gap in addiction and homelessness services: reaching people before they opt into treatment, and staying present long enough to make referrals feasible when readiness changes. The nonprofit’s expansion also includes relapse-prevention supports for program alumni, including housing navigation, and services tailored to pregnant and parenting mothers—reflecting a strategy that extends beyond initial engagement to longer-term stabilization.