Maryland New Directions
Maryland New Directions, Inc., (MND) is a private, nonprofit, career counseling and job placement agency that provides one-on-one job coaching for immediate job placement as well as occupational skills training for careers in the transportation and logistics industry. Funding from Abell will support MND in assisting more than 200 job seekers in Baltimore.
Humanim, Inc.
Direct Service Professionals (DSPs) are the front line staff who work closely with individuals diagnosed with an intellectual or developmental disability. To respond to the critical need for trained workers, Humanim, with support from the Abell Foundaiton, will recruit and train 130 DSPs to meet and exceed all DSP required state trainings/certifications. Abell funding will also support Humanim and Obran, a worker cooperative conglomerate corporation, to help 30 DSPs to launch a worker-owned alternative staffing company. Obran will recruit the employee-owners, and work with them to establish and organization structure. The employee-owners of the newly formed worker cooperative will deliver quality services to employer partners and share in the company’s prosperity.
CASA de Maryland, Inc.
The Baltimore Welcome Center provides employment placement services for day laborers and low-income workers who begin to assemble early in the morning in the hope of being selected for jobs in construction, landscaping, home improvement, sanitation, and other day-to-day, physical labor-intensive jobs. In the coming year, CASA plans to place workers in 1,700 daily jobs, 40 temporary/seasonal jobs, and 35 permanent jobs; to provide 50 people with legal consultation on immigration, employment, or housing matters; to provide 500 people with basic financial education/counseling, and 300 low-income households with free tax preparation services; and to educate 200 eligible Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) about the naturalization process.
Bon Secours Baltimore Health System Foundation
Funding from the Abell Foundation will support Bon Secours Baltimore Community Works’ Returning Citizens program, which is designed to help 100 returning citizens break the cycle of incarceration. All program participants will receive behavioral health assessments and financial education; 70% are expected to complete TYRO, an intensive, five-week life skills course; and 65% will be placed into jobs, occupational skills training or higher education programs.
Art with a Heart
Each year, Art with a Heart teachers and assistants provide engaging, educational, and interactive visual arts classes to vulnerable Baltimore children, youth, and adults. Funding from the Abell Foundaiton will support HeARTworks, a workforce development program that uses art as a vehicle to teach job skills; HeARTwares, Art with a Heart’s social enterprise/retail store that sells HeARTworks participants’ artwork; and arts integration, Art with a Heart’s engaging visual arts programs that supplement academic curricula in Baltimore elementary/middle schools.