It looks like our fight for adequate incomes is finally paying off - tonight, Baltimore City Council Members overwhelmingly voted to pass a $15 minimum wage bill!

With a 11-3 vote, this was no short order. As a huge change-up from just last year, when the bill was introduced but couldn’t quite gain traction, this vote signals a major victory in tackling income inequality.

“No one has ever suggested that one piece of legislation would solve injustice as a whole,” said City Council Member Mary Pat Clarke, who was also the bill’s lead sponsor. “It’s never going to be one thing, but it’s got to start with something.”

As we’ve known all along, low wages have given rise to instability across our city and our state, leaving people unable to afford housing and basic necessities. But with access to adequate wages, our clients, and all Baltimore residents, have access to better, healthier lives. With Council Bill 17-0018 promising to gradually increase the city’s current $8.75 per hour baseline to $15 per hour by 2022, it takes us one step closer to curbing homelessness. And our staff were on the frontlines fighting for it.

During a Labor Committee hearing earlier this month, our CEO Kevin Lindamood and disability outreach assistance (SOAR) specialist Gerardo Benavides testified in support of the bill, arguing that “if housing is health care, then we must devise solutions that allow for fair access to pay for that housing, including raising the minimum wage.”

Thanks to our Health Care for the Homeless community who spoke out on behalf of the minimum wage, this was a important step towards greater income stability for hard-working Baltimore residents.

Now, the bill is in the hands of Mayor Catherine Pugh, who must first give her stamp of approval before the bill becomes law. Be sure to watch our advocacy alerts to see if future action is needed to ensure that the fight for $15 is won.