Baltimore City Department of Planning, Fiscally Sponsored by Civic Works, Inc.
The Baltimore Food Policy Initiative within the Baltimore City Department of Planning will provide mini-grants to grassroots community organizations who are working hard and quickly to fill gaps in Baltimore’s larger emergency food-distribution system as the COVID-19 crisis continues. Funds will be used for food, protective equipment for volunteers and nonprofit employees, transportation and fuel costs to supply food to those who are homebound, elderly, immuno-compromised, and living in poverty, most of whom are unable to access distribution centers, have lost their local pantry program due to COVID closure, or may have a gap without food while, for example, waiting for their Meals on Wheels registration to be processed or for SNAP benefits to be approved.
Southeast Community Development Corporation
Southeast CDC will continue to implement an eviction prevention program called “Family Stability for our Community Schools” in Southeast and East Baltimore. The program is based on a national model combining intensive casework, connection to resources and emergency funding, aimed at preventing families and children from the destabilizing effects of eviction, successive moves, change in schools and homelessness. The need for this type of program has become more urgent with COVID as work hours have been cut or eliminated, past due bills accumulate and compounding this, many immigrant families served through the program cannot take advantage of public benefits offered to citizens.
New Life Food Pantry, Inc.
New Life Food Pantry distributes up to 100,000 pounds of food during single day community markets. Grant funds will support costs associated with a pilot camera project.
Maryland Access to Justice Commission, Fiscally Sponsored by Maryland Bar Foundation
The COVID-19 pandemic has broadsided the economy and led to the filing of an unprecedented volume of civil legal actions, such as missed rent payments; disputes over medical and consumer debt; the need for protective orders; applications for unemployment insurance; drafting of wills or dealing with probate. Under this grant, the Task Force will identify, research and discuss opportunities to improve the civil legal aid delivery system, including addressing inequities in the judicial system, creating a better system of resources and warm referrals; building a triage system to provide targeted help; and engaging more pro-bono and reduced fee assistance for civil legal problems, culminating in a final report of recommendations to be completed by December 2020.
Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake
Habitat Chesapeake has a 38 year track record of assisting lower-income families, primarily headed by middle-aged African-American women, in becoming first-time homeowners in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Interest in homeownership through Habitat is high. In FY2020, Habitat received more than 800 pre-qualification questionnaires. Grant funds will support costs associated with the rehabilitation and construction of 10 homes in three neighborhoods that have benefitted from significant investment by Habitat over the years: Pigtown, Woodbourne-McCabe, and Pen Lucy.