For immediate release: Aug. 24, 2001
For more information, contact:
Monsignor William Burke at 410-235-5136
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development awarded $245,000 in grants Friday to 13 projects aimed at addressing the root causes of poverty in area communities.
Bishop Gordon Bennett, urban vicar of Baltimore, who presented the awards, said, "The Catholic Campaign for Human Development's ideal is not to give a hand out, but a way out."
The following grants were awarded:
$10,000 to St. Peter's Adult Learning Center for a feasibility study on starting a for-profit food service business in the Washington Village-Pigtown area of Baltimore City.
$25,000 to Interfaith Housing of Western Maryland Inc. to provide low-cost housing for poverty-level families. To date, 71 homes have been completed.
$30,000 to the Maryland Disabilities Forum/Hear Our Voices to increase advocacy efforts.
$25,000 to People's Homesteading Group, which will partner with Greenmount Community Planning Council and St. Ann's Church to attract private and public investment in the Greenmount community.
$30,000 to the Clearinghouse for a Healthy Community to organize efforts to ensure community control of health issues and health research issues in East Baltimore.
$30,000 to the Immigration Action Service Committee to organize immigrants to ensure their needs are met.
$30,000 to Baltimore ACORN/Housing Justice to address housing issues such as predatory lending and landlord tenant reform, as well as community issues such as closing libraries and recreation centers.
$5,000 to the Quality of Life Corporation, which provides services to families through its center in northeast Baltimore.
$10,000 to the Mercy Southwest Alliance, which addresses drug issues and community development issues in Southwest Baltimore.
$10,000 to Students Sharing Coalition, which provides advocacy training to high school and college youth to unite youth to work for social justice.
$10,000 to Interfaith Coalition for Compassion in Columbia, Md., to train community leaders as people move from welfare to work.
$15,000 to the Community Law Center, a non-profit public service law firm that provides legal services to community associations and has been especially active in crime-fighting strategies in the lower Park Heights area.
$15,000 to the Tri-State Re-Use Center in Hancock, Md., which acts as a transfer station for building materials, enabling poor families to bring their housing up to code.
The money for these grants comes from a single collection taken in the nation's Catholic churches in November. This year, Catholics in the Archdiocese of Baltimore were asked to contribute one hour's wages, and the collection was the largest ever, totaling $227,300.
Groups interested in applying for next year's grants are invited to attend a technical assistance workshop hosted by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and several other religious funders on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi church hall on Harford Road in northeast Baltimore.
END##