Youth Empowered Society, Fiscally Sponsored by Maryland Philanthropy Network
Opened in 2012, the YES Drop-In Center serves unaccompanied homeless youth ages 14 to 25, offering counseling, peer support, connections to resources and a safe place for the youth to meet their basic needs. YES staff and partner agencies provide employment counseling and job placement support; assistance accessing housing and public benefits; case management; tutoring; health care; pro bono legal services; and parenting support. In FY 2020, the YES Center served 201 youth. This grant supports the centers operations.
University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation
HealthySteps is an evidence-based model that embeds a child development professional into pediatric care to promote positive parenting and healthy development for babies and toddlers from birth to age five. The University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) implements HealthySteps at two sites: the UMSOM Family Medicine Practice and the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus Pedatric practice. This grant will strengthen data collection capacity so that ultimately, UMSOM can analyze the program’s return on investment and advocate for insurance reimbursement of the program’s prevention services.
Tahirih Justice Center
The Tahirih Justice Center represents immigrant women and girls seeking protection from gender-based human rights abuses, including domestic violence and sexual assault. Tahirih provides free immigration and family law services and social service coordination to about 290 women a year and their families. This grant provides general operating support to Tahirih’s Baltimore Field Office.
St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, Inc.
Promise Housing is a new program of St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore that will serve unaccompanied homeless youth in Baltimore City. Part of the federally-funded Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, Promise Housing will provide 25 units of rapid rehousing and 23 units of permanent supportive housing, coupled with housing search assistance, case management, employment support services, and other services tailored to the needs and interests of the clients. This grant provides flexible financial assistance to remove financial barriers to housing and employment faced by Promise Housing clients.
Public Justice Center, Inc.
The Public Justice Center’s Health and Benefits Rights project works to ensure access to critical services through a combination of research, education, advocacy,and litigation. The project will focus on three key priorities: 1) reducing maternal mortality disparities, with a specific focus on increasing access to doula care; 2) monitoring and enforcing state and federal laws requiring Maryland to pay for treatment of Hepatitis C for individuals on Medicaid; and 3) ensuring that state agencies and private healthcare providers are complying with state and federal language access laws that require the provision of translation and interpretation services for people with limited English proficiency. This grant supports the salary of the Health and Benefits Rights attorney, and associated project expenses.