BALTIMORE, MD (October 26, 2022) – Maryland Department of Labor (MD Labor) Secretary Tiffany Robinson announced nearly $1 million in funding to support and train jobseekers experiencing homelessness or needing eviction prevention. MD Labor is partnering with Maryland’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) on this critical prevention initiative.
These entities will develop and implement innovative strategies integrating workforce and housing resources to support at-risk jobseekers. Due to the number of high-quality and innovative proposals received by MD Labor, the funding announced today is nearly double that of the department’s initial commitment to this pilot, which was announced earlier this year.
“This initiative bolsters our existing commitment to operate an integrated workforce system to address a core source of homelessness,” said Secretary Tiffany Robinson. “I am confident that the collaborative nature of these projects will be a catalyst for changing the lives of countless Marylanders.”
Selected grantees have cultivated robust partnerships with statewide workforce development partners and organizations that provide services to those experiencing homelessness. Funding will support jobseekers experiencing homelessness by providing training and employment opportunities that lead to economic security and family-sustaining wages.
“As the Interagency Council on Homelessness Chair, I fully endorse this grant and believe it will have a meaningful impact in helping to reduce homelessness and increase employment among this vulnerable population,” said Maryland Department of Disabilities Secretary Carol A. Beatty, who also chairs the Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Over the next three years, it is expected that more than 350 individuals will benefit from services provided through these grants. Funded projects cover nearly all corners of the state, from Western Maryland to Southern Maryland and communities in between.
“Many of our Southern Maryland families are not only facing the challenges associated with being homeless but also the lack of employment or adequate skills and training to secure livable wages,” stated LifeStyles of Maryland Foundation, Inc. CEO Sandy Washington. “Through this incredible funding opportunity, MD Labor’s Workforce Solutions to Address Homelessness will allow LifeStyles’ ‘Bridge the Gap’ Workforce Development program to reduce these challenges, increase our labor force, and create a better quality of life for those who are currently unemployed and experiencing homelessness in Southern Maryland.”
More information about the selected recipients is included below.
Organization Funding Amount Region Served Allegany College $195,000 Allegany and Garrett Counties Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development $200,000 Baltimore County Horizon Goodwill Industries $199,000 Washington and Allegany Counties LifeStyles of Maryland $198,976 Calvert, St. Mary’s, and Charles Counties Maryland Center For Veterans Education and Training $200,000 Baltimore City
Stevens Amendment: 100% funded with federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act formula funds.