Recovery from the Red Shed Village fire

In the early hours of Thanksgiving, the Red Shed Village suffered an enormous loss due to a fire. Villagers woke in the middle of the night to a fire of unknown origin overtaking the Red Shed where gardeners and Villagers store belongings. Thanks to the quick actions of those who reside in the Village, the fire did not spread to nearby shelters or homes, and we are grateful that nobody was harmed in the fire that eventually totally consumed the Red Shed.

The loss of the Red Shed is not just a practical loss, but also a symbolic one - standing since the origins of the Red Shed Village as a community garden, the brightly painted shed has always been an iconic figure in a place where unhoused community members gathered to eventually start an ambitious experiment to address homelessness in Baltimore City. The Red Shed has been many things to many people: vital storage for the belongings of community members transitioning from homelessness to housing; the location of a community pantry that supplies community members with much-needed hygiene, cold weather, and harm reduction supplies; and the gathering point for community fellowship and celebration.

Going forward, we are raising money to help rebuild. Funds raised will go towards the clean-up effort, rebuilding or replacing the structure that will go up in the Red Shed's place, and housing the affected Villagers for the duration of the arson investigation to follow.