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Department of Housing and Community Development

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Announces $188,000 in Grants to Support Safer Neighborhoods and Lovable Places in Southern Maryland 

New Carrollton, MD. (July 25, 2024) – The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development today announced it has awarded $188,000 in grants to improve health and safety of neighborhoods across three Southern Maryland counties through the department’s Community Health and Safety Works (CHSW) program.

Local governments and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible for CHSW grant funding to implement crime prevention strategies through physical design improvements, operational activities and other community-driven strategies. CHSW projects are required to be located in Baltimore City or an area designated as a Maryland Sustainable Community elsewhere in the state.

“One of DHCD’s key missions is creating lovable places in Maryland where pride-in-place is strong but reinvestment is needed,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “The projects funded through the Community Health and Safety Works program will not only make Maryland neighborhoods safer, cleaner and more lovable, but will support community-driven efforts that will have an impact on generations to come.”

CHSW awards fall into one of four competitive categories: 

  1. Community Placemaking: Community-led collaborations that engage artists and designers to create lovable and safer spaces for community use. 
  2. Environmental Health and Justice: Elimination of predatory and unhealthy practices such as illegal dumping, litter and traffic hazards and address urban heat islands and other conditions related to climate change. 
  3. Cameras, Lighting, and Related Safety Services: Increased surveillance of illegal and dangerous activities in communities through lighting, camera strategies and related community safety services and technology. 
  4. Technical Assistance for CHSW Initiatives: Nonprofit providers that will provide project design and implementation support to the awardees of CHSW project funding. Grant amounts are determined by the scope of services provided.

A total of 108 awards worth $9,750,000 were provided in the Fiscal Year 2024 round of funding across 20 Maryland counties and Baltimore City. 

In Southern Maryland, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties received a combined $188,000 to support three projects.

Some awardees include: 

  • St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation will use $53,000 to support the expansion of the Great Mills Road Cleanup which will provide frequent dumpster deliveries, greenery improvements and tools, street sweeping and operating support.
  • The Arc of Southern Maryland will use $35,000 to install lighting around the perimeter of the parking lot and cameras and a card reader system for the building.

More information on the Community Health and Safety Works program and how to apply can be found here.

 

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