Working To Enhance The Quality Of Life
In Baltimore And In Maryland.
Vision for Baltimore is an innovative citywide partnership designed to improve vision screening and follow-up care for Baltimore City public school students. Launched in 2016, Vision for Baltimore screened over 50,000 students during its first three years, provided approximately 9,000 eye examinations to students who failed the vision screenings, and provided more than 6,000 free pairs of eyeglasses to city students.
The Intercultural Counseling Connection (ICC) is a network of mental health professionals who partner with trained interpreters to provide pro bono therapeutic care and counseling to refugees, asylum seekers, and other forced migrants.
Baltimore will have the opportunity to be the very first city in the country to customize and utilize an analytical tool to document and weight the costs versus the health and fiscal benefits of investment in smart surfaces (cool and green roofing, porous paving, tree canopy and green infrastructure) to address a city that is about 70 percent paved or roofed.
SECDC will consult with the CASH Campaign of Maryland (CASH) for their expertise to provide training and technical assistance to the organization’s housing counseling team. CASH will conduct an analysis of current practices and staff capacity in the area of financial capability. They intend to develop a financial coaching program that is integrated into SECDC’s homeownership counseling service delivery and will train staff in financial coaching techniques to comprehensively serve Baltimore City households, particularly among low income communities of color.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, in which women and girls are forced to engage in the commercial sex trade. Since 2012, with funding from the Abell Foundation, TurnAround, Inc. has provided services to 880 trafficking survivors (187 survivors last year).
Venture for America strengthens entrepreneurship, business formation, and economic growth by attracting top talent students to work in start-up and early-stage companies. Since 2013, VFA has placed 110 Fellows in Baltimore City for two-year fellowships with more than 50 high-growth companies and startups, and they have supported the launch of nine Fellow-founded companies. Of 15 participating cities, Baltimore is the second largest program and boasts the highest post-Fellowship retention rate.
Baltimore’s Mr. Trash Wheel has successfully operated at the mouth of the Jones Falls since 2014, collecting over 2 million pounds of trash and debris which would otherwise litter the Harbor, including a mattress, a keg, a guitar, a ball python, 11.3 million cigarette butts, 1 million foam containers, 880,646 plastic bottles, and 649,000 plastic bags. In need of upgrades, grant funding will enable mechanical repairs and cosmetic improvements that are beyond the scope of routine annual maintenance and operations.
Homeless Persons Representation Project (HPRP) provides free legal services to homeless individuals throughout the state of Maryland. This grant supports HPRP's Homeless Youth Initiative, which provides direct representation to unaccompanied homeless youth on a range of legal needs, and advocates for policy solutions to youth homelessness in Maryland.
The Hippodrome Foundation introduces Maryland students and community members to the arts via the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center. The three buildings that comprise the Hippodrome Theatre welcome 250,000+ patrons annually and offer Broadway shows. The Hippodrome Foundation will complete renovations of the fourth building in the complex – the M&T Bank Pavilion – for use as a community art and event space. The space will be programmed for youth arts education, community performances, and private events.
Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) provides a full range of health care services to homeless individuals in Maryland, operating three full-service clinics, a mobile clinic, and several satellite locations that together serve over 10,000 patients. This grant supports HCH's dental program, which provides comprehensive dental care to approximately 1,400 patients in three locations in Baltimore City.
