Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Announces $9.75M in Grants to Support Safer Neighborhoods and Lovable Places

New Carrollton, MD. (July 25, 2024) – The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development today announced it has awarded $9,750,000 in grants to improve the health and safety of neighborhoods across the state 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 were provided in the Fiscal Year 2024 round of funding across 20 Maryland counties and Baltimore City.

Awardees include:

• Garrett County Arts Council will use $100,000 to implement placemaking upgrades to a community space in the heart of Historic Oakland, including improvements to the community arts and performance space featuring artist-designed murals, entry gates and arches, hardscaping and plantings.
• Greater Baybrook Alliance, Inc. in Baltimore City will use $100,000 to launch a Baybrook Lighting and Camera fund for a commercial corridor for future improvements to the area. Those improvements will include installation of exterior lighting in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Baltimore and Old Riverside Park and a series of block party-style celebrations to increase visibility and community cohesion.
• 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.
• TREND Community Development Corporation Funds in Baltimore City will use $210,000 to expand TREND’s work partnering with The PEACE Team and Young Successful Leaders in Walbrook Junction and Edmondson Village shopping centers. This work includes mentoring, entrepreneurship, and violence reduction services to youth and young adults.

“We are honored to have the support of DHCD through the Community Health and Safety Works program,” said Meredith Chaiken, executive director of the Greater Baybrook Alliance. “These funds will be used to support resident-led initiatives to improve environmental conditions in our neighborhoods, including training and supporting residents’ 311 calls for code violations, facilitating clean streets with shared dumpsters and public trash cans on our commercial corridors, and beautification of underutilized green spaces.”

“The Garrett County Arts Council (GCAC) is thrilled to learn we have received a FY24 DHCD Community Health and Safety Works grant for our creative arts community placemaking project at 215-221 Green Street!” said Kathy Beachler, Executive Director of the Garrett County Arts Council. “Between two main retail streets in the heart of the Oakland Arts & Entertainment District, visualize walking through artist-designed entry arches accessing a vibrant community space: parking lot by day and community event space showcasing music, dance and theatre on evenings and weekends. Designed with community input, this creative, safe space will include colorful murals, community maintained eco-friendly planters, inclusive ADA-accessible seating, overhead lighting, way-finding signage, with traffic controlled by one way access.

GCAC understands engaging in creative arts community placemaking fosters a sense of belonging and ownership among residents, enhances social interaction, contributing to increased community health and safety through proactive collaboration and mutual support.”

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