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Department of Housing and Community Development

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Announces $597,000 in Grants to Support Safer Neighborhoods and Lovable Places on the Eastern Shore

New Carrollton, MD. (July 25, 2024) – The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development today announced it has awarded $597,000 in grants to improve health and safety of neighborhoods across the Eastern Shore 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. 

On the Eastern Shore, eight projects in Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Talbot, Wicomico and Worcester counties received a total of $597,000 in grant money.

Some awardees include:

  • The High 5 Initiative, Inc. in Cecil County will use $47,000 for clean-ups within the riparian buffers along the Susky, North East, and Elk rivers. 
  • Building African American Minds, Inc. in Talbot County will use $40,000 for outside lighting and cameras that will assist in making the interior and exterior gym area more visible and safer for its program participants, staff, and the community at large.
  • The City of Salisbury in Wicomico County will use $80,000 for cameras at the City of Salisbury Parking Garage and the Salisbury Visitors Center.
  • The Mayor and City Council of Ocean City in Worcester County will use $99,000 for the purchase and installation of cameras as part of the Town’s CityWatch program.

Here’s what local leaders are saying about the announcement: 

“The High 5 Initiative is honored to receive the DHCD Community Health and Safety Works grant, which will bolster our efforts to combat litter and illegal dumping along our local waterways,” said Phil Ash, executive director of the High 5 Initiative in Cecil County. “This support will help us expand community-led cleanups and educational initiatives, fostering stewardship and enhancing environmental health across our region. This grant will significantly contribute to our efforts to enhance the health and safety of our community.” 

“BAAM is excited to receive this grant which will help us to increase lighting around our facility and upgrade our camera system to allow us to ensure that all who attend our Athletic Center programs, especially our youth, feel secure and safe,” said Dina Daly, executive director of Building African American Minds in Talbot County.

“We are thrilled to be awarded these grant funds,” said Salisbury Police Chief Dave Meienschein. “With our increased event schedule in the City and development of our downtown area, the deployment of the camera technology the grant will support will greatly increase our ability to provide enhanced safety for our citizens, which would otherwise be delayed due to budget restraints.”

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

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