St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, Inc.
Launched in 2014, St. Vincent de Paul’s Front Door program provides short-term rent subsidies coupled with housing search assistance, intensive case management, and employment support to homeless families in Baltimore City. Over the past five years, the program has placed over 250 families into privately owned housing, and almost all remained housed one year after exiting the program. St. Vincent de Paul tailors services to the needs of each family to ensure that the families achieve stability and are able to remain housed. While the housing costs are covered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Abell Foundation grant funds pay for furniture, moving costs, and miscellaneous costs associated with eliminating barriers to employment.
St. Francis Neighborhood Center
The St. Francis Neighborhood Center has served the Reservoir Hill neighborhood since 1963 with after-school and summer programming for community youth. This grant will further support the renovation and expansion of their 125-year-old three-story town home at 2405 Linden Avenue with a new 12,000 sq. ft. facility (including five classrooms, a study hall and library, a café and kitchen, two meeting rooms, a multi-purpose room, an art studio, and an expanded computer lab.) The $5.5 million expansion is anticipated to be complete in Fall 2020.
Shepherd’s Clinic
Shepherd’s Clinic offers primary and specialty medical care to uninsured adults by leveraging an extensive network of volunteer doctors, nurses and other health professionals. On-site specialty services include cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, women’s health, diabetes management, mental health, and wellness services. The clinic seeks to increase access to health care services for the uninsured, manage chronic diseases, and improve health and well-being. This grant provided Shepherd’s Clinic with general operating support.
The Samaritan Community
The Samaritan Community provides assistance to meet the needs of families and individuals who are in crisis and wish to improve their lives. This grant supported the Crisis Intervention Assistance and Empowerment programs, which include a food pantry, clothing and household goods, financial assistance, case management, and individual and group counseling. Other services include access to a computer room and referrals to other agencies, including health and mental health clinics, drug treatment providers, and employment programs.
Public Justice Center, Inc.
The Public Justice Center’s Health and Benefits Rights project works to improve access to crtical services for vulnerable individuals throughout the state, through a combination of research, education, advocacy,and litigation. Over the coming year, the project will focus on three key priorities: 1) reducing maternal mortality, with a specific focus on reducing racial disparities in maternal mortality; 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.