Dear Community Leaders, Funders, and Elected Officials,

We, the undersigned individuals, organizations, and supporters of Baltimore’s recovery community, urgently call for immediate action to prevent the closure of Dee’s Place, a cornerstone of peer-led recovery support in East Baltimore for more than two decades.

For over 20 years, Dee’s Place has offered free, 24/7 peer support, drop-in recovery coaching, groups, fellowship, overdose prevention, referrals, and a safe place for people seeking stability. Thousands of Baltimore residents have relied on Dee’s Place for hope, connection, and a supportive community. Its closure would create a devastating gap for individuals in recovery, families, returning citizens, and neighborhoods already facing overlapping crises of overdose, trauma, and housing instability.

Dee’s Place has been one of Baltimore’s longest-standing and most accessible recovery community centers, providing over 11 million instances of support and serving as a lifeline for individuals who often have nowhere else to go. Many people seek Dee’s Place after treatment, during a crisis, or when navigating early recovery, and the loss of this space will echo far beyond the building itself. It will impact public health, overdose prevention systems, and the broader safety net of peer-based recovery services.

We respectfully urge key stakeholders—funders, government partners, philanthropic organizations, HEBCAC leadership, and elected officials—to take all possible steps to identify emergency resources, collaborative partnerships, or structural alternatives that would keep Dee’s Place open or transition it to another community-based lead agency.

Specifically, we call for:

• Immediate exploration of bridge or emergency funding to sustain Dee’s Place operations.

• Collaboration with peer-led organizations and community partners willing to assist with staffing, programming, or oversight.

• A public plan to ensure continuity of services for the individuals who rely on Dee’s Place daily.

• Transparent communication with community members, stakeholders, and participants.

Dee’s Place is not just a program—it is a sanctuary. It is a home. It is a community that has saved and changed countless lives. Closing its doors would place Baltimore at greater risk during an already deadly overdose crisis.

We stand together in unity to say:
Dee’s Place must remain open. Our community cannot afford to lose this critical recovery lifeline.

View HEBCAC Website

Sincerely,

(Names and organizations to be listed)