Health & Human Services
The health of a community can only be as strong as the well-being of its people. We support efforts to reduce racial disparities in health and wellbeing by providing Baltimore City residents with equitable access to food, housing, healthcare, and legal services. We fund organizations that provide direct services, advocate for more equitable policies and systems, and lead public health initiatives.
Our investments in health and human services include projects that:
Personal identification documents such as birth certificates, driver’s licenses, state IDs, and Social Security cards are required to access most essential services in the United States. Without an ID, an individual can’t sign a lease, verify employment eligibility, access medical care, or open a bank account. For individuals who are homeless or unstably housed, it can be difficult to obtain and retain identification documents due to cost barriers and the lack of a secure place to store them. Founded in 2021, Identity Access Project (IAP) is a Baltimore-based nonprofit that addresses this need by helping homeless and unstably housed individuals obtain copies of their vital documents.
B’more for Healthy Babies (BHB) is a multidisciplinary public health strategy to improve maternal and child health outcomes. BHB has made a significant difference in Baltimore City, cutting the racial disparity between Black and white infant deaths by more than half. This report explains what has made BHB so effective.
Too many children continue to be exposed to deteriorating lead-based paint in their homes. This Abell report examines what it would take for Baltimore City to tackle the urgent problem of lead paint poisoning.
Have questions or want to discuss your idea for health and human services in Baltimore? Get in touch using the form below.
Header photo courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul.