Hagerstown Officials Review Homeless Shelter Inspections

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — The Hagerstown City Council is reviewing inspection standards for homeless shelters.

The agenda for Tuesday's meeting includes a report on inspection standards for nine shelters and residential treatment facilities operated by non-profit organizations that are not covered by the city's rental dwelling inspection program.

The review was prompted by Councilman Kristin Aleshire's questions about whether housing for the city's most vulnerable residents is inspected to same or higher standards as conventional rental housing.

The report shows that at least eight of the nine facilities do not receive comparable inspections. At the Hagerstown Rescue Mission, for example, the only inspections reported are health department inspections of the kitchen.