Bon Secours Baltimore Health System - Bon Secours Community Works

Overview

Founded in 1991, Bon Secours Community Works is an integrated group of highly targeted social services programs. Key elements include:

• Career Development: This program provides youth and adults educational resources, job training, placement, readiness, GED-prep, occupational therapy and related services, plus local internships. The Clean & Green Neighborhood Revitalization Program provides unemployed residents with on­ the-job urban landscaping training, job readiness training and placement assistance while improving more than 50 local vacant lots.

• Our Money Place Financial Services: This program meets residents’ needs through financial literacy education, financial coaching and counseling, eviction prevention assistance, public benefits screening, eviction prevention and tax preparation.

• Family Support Center: Family strengthening services are provided to expecting and parenting adults 16 to 25 and children from birth to age three. The center offers Early Head Start developmental child care, parent education onsite or in-home, family literacy training, health education, and service coordination.

• Women’s Resource Center: A daytime, drop-in center that serves an average of 200 women annually who are in an unstable housing situation, the Women's Resource Center has hospitality services, meals and various supportive vocational and behavioral services.

In addition, Community Works has launched a Re-Entry Success program, which was developed in response to community feedback. The primary Re-Entry Success components are “TYRO” life skills training, placement assistance, wraparound support services, and one-year of follow-up services. This initiative will help 36 men and women returning citizens (aka ex-offenders) become positive and functioning members of their community through life skills training, placement and counseling services aimed at addressing critical issues like entering free society or reconnecting with children.

Impact

Bon Secours Community Works delivered essential services to more than 2,500 area residents. Highlights include: 111 families with children under 3 received in-home parenting education; 109 children received in-center developmental care and 40 fathers gained parenting skills in support group training from the Family Support Center; 175 imminent evictions were prevented; 332 individuals received financial counseling; 359 were screened for public benefits to increase economic stability; 656 low-cost tax returns were prepared by Financial Services; 73 individuals obtained job readiness training and placement; 31 youth participated in the summer work and career prep program; 117 residents enrolled in GED instruction and 310 accessed the Computer Job Hub lab through Career Development; 95 women benefited from the Women’s Resource Center day shelter; and 53 vacant lots were improved by paid interns learning green industry skills.

Lessons Learned

Maintaining an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders is vital to sustaining relevant programming.

Future Goals

Bon Secours Community works plans to expand the re-entry program for both and women; expand the re-entry program to work with individuals six months pre-release; and expand the summer internship program to be year-round.

Contact: Judith Carmichael
Director, Marketing & Public Relations
Telephone: 410-371-4142
Email: judith_carmichael@bshsi.org