Baltimore Furniture Bank, Fiscally Sponsored by Fusion Partnerships, Inc.
The Baltimore Furniture Bank (BFB) was founded in 2017 by two men with lived experiences of homelessness to provide donated furniture to homeless individuals who are moving into apartments. The BFB solicits donations of used furniture from institutions with surplus furniture and from individuals; sorts, cleans and stores the furniture in a warehouse; and distributes it at events and through partnerships with nonprofit housing providers. This grant supports the Baltimore Furniture Bank’s general operating costs. BFB is fiscally sponsored by Fusion Partnerships, Inc.
Moveable Feast, Inc.
Founded in 1989 as a volunteer-led organization providing home-cooked meals for people with HIV and AIDS, Moveable Feast is now the leading provider of home-delivered medically tailored meals for people with chronic health conditions in the Baltimore region. The organization delivers approximately 500,000 meals annually to over 1,300 individuals who are medically compromised and have diseases that are impacted by nutrition. In addition, 40% of its clients receive medical nutrition therapy to help them make lasting changes to their diets to support improved health. Beyond direct services, Moveable Feast is an active participant in the national Food Is Medicine coalition, an association of nonprofit food and nutrition service providers that collaborate to advance public policy, promote research, and share best practices on the provision of medically tailored meals and nutrition education. This grant provides general support for Moveable Feast’s operations.
Maryland Family Network
“Maryland Child Care Boost” is a pilot program that aims to improve the sustainability of childcare by helping providers maintain full program enrollment; implement sound financial management practices; and achieve economies of scale through participation in a shared services network. It will serve a total of 120 family and center-based child care providers: 40 from Baltimore City, 40 from Montgomery County, and 40 from Prince George’s County. This grant supports the staffing required at the Baltimore City Child Care Resource and Referral Center (BCCCRC) to coordinate the cohorts of Baltimore City childcare providers.
Food & Water Watch
This grant supports Food & Water Watch’s efforts to ensure that Baltimore City’s Water Accountability and Equity Act is implemented according to the law, and that eligible Baltimore City residents enroll in the “Water for All” program. Under the law, water bills will be capped at 1%-3% of income for those living at 50-200% of the Federal Poverty Limit, including tenants. To incentivize on-time payments and retention in the program, the equivalent amount of each on-time water bill payment is deducted from enrolled residents’ arrears. In addition, the act calls for the creation of the “Office of Water Customers Advocacy and Appeals” within the Department of Public Works (DPW) to provide all residents with a fair and neutral process of resolving water bill issues, which the OIG’s recent report shows are prevalent.
Episcopal Housing Corporation
This grant will support Episcopal Housing Corporation’s renovation of 17 W. Mulberry Court into nine Permanent Supportive Housing units. Permanent Supportive Housing is an evidence-based intervention to end chronic homelessness, which has also been shown to decrease health care spending. Once the development is complete, tenants will be referred from the Baltimore City’s Coordinated Access List, and Health Care for the Homeless will provide social services to those tenants.