Maryland Adds $500,000 to Safer Stronger Together Initiative: Covering Hagerstown, Salisbury and East Baltimore
Maryland Governor Wes Moore, together with the Maryland departments of Human Services (DHS), Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), and Juvenile Services (DJS), announced on October 30 in Annapolis an additional $500,000 investment in the Safer Stronger Together (SST) initiative in Hagerstown in Washington County, Salisbury in Wicomico County, and East Baltimore. The investment will help sustain local efforts to drive down crime and expand opportunities for young people.
SST brings together state agencies and community partners to coordinate family support and fund community-led public safety solutions: navigators connect families with services and resources, while Community Action Boards help residents set neighborhood priorities and direct funding to local organizations addressing them. Following a successful two-year pilot in the three communities, the new investment builds on the program's progress. In Baltimore, more than 4,600 young people have been served, more than 170 youth conflicts that might otherwise have led to violence were mediated, and more than 1,145 fathers returning from incarceration were connected with support networks. In Salisbury, SST has served more than 900 young people, connected 147 with workforce development resources including career coaching and professional certifications, and extended after-school programming with tutoring and mental health support to 231 young people, 85 percent of whom maintained a GPA above 2.75. In Hagerstown, SST served 262 young people, connected 58 with community mentors, and saw 66 young people complete coursework toward an Amazon Web Services cloud practitioner certification.
"The work to keep all Marylanders safe and secure requires an all-of-government and all-of-the-above approach to public safety," Governor Moore said. Acting Human Services Secretary Stacy L. Rodgers said lasting progress depends on effective coordination between government and community partners. Juvenile Services Secretary Betsy Fox Tolentino said SST helps young people build positive relationships and discover their strengths. Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs said public safety is strongest when prevention is combined with strong community partnerships.
The additional investment builds on the work of residents and 23 grassroots community organizations, and will support grant writing, technical assistance and administrative capacity-building so community organizations can sustain their work over the long term. According to the governor's office, homicides in Maryland have decreased by more than 40 percent since Moore took office, putting the state on pace for its lowest homicide rate in more than 40 years, while nonfatal shootings have fallen by more than 50 percent.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 巴尔的摩内港（资料图）。CC BY，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Baltimore Inner Harbor (file photo). CC BY, via Wikimedia Commons.
