St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center
The St. Ambrose host home program matches homeless young adults, ages 18-24, with homeowners who have been recruited and trained to work with this population, who provide temporary homes for the youth until they find permanent housing. The program is designed to be a short-term stay, with a goal of transitioning the youth to permanent housing within five months. This grant provides operating support for the host home program, which expects to house 25 homeless youth over the coming year.
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.
Parks & People Foundation
Parks & People Foundation builds and revitalizes public spaces, supports greening groups and nonprofits with material and grant donations, and hosts out-of-school time programs for city-youth from low-income backgrounds that integrate environmental education, outdoor experiences, and social-emotional development. This grant supported the middle school sports program, which provides public school students after-school athletic enrichment with an integrated character development curriculum. Sports offered using a non-traditional model include soccer, lacrosse, baseball, volleyball, kickball, basketball, and flag football.
Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
In response to studies showing long-lasting, damaging effects of exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, the Maryland Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics developed an intervention designed to support low-income parents of young children and to protect their children from exposure to ACEs. The intervention, known as TREE (for Talk, Read, Engage, Encourage) promotes positive parent-child interactions, which have been shown to mitigate the effects of ACEs. The TREE program includes video and print materials that encourage parents to talk, read and play with their young children, and are designed to be used by pediatricians during routine well-child visits. This grant supports the implementation and evaluation of the TREE program.