City Of Salisbury Receives 61K For Homeless Initiatives

Mayor James Ireton, Jr. is pleased to announce that the City of Salisbury received $61,501.00 from the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Emergency Solutions Grant Program to address homelessness issues. The funding will be utilized to assist with operating costs at four shelters and to provide homeless prevention funding.

Service providers receiving these funds include Diakonia, in the amount of $32,813.00. Diakonia, located in Ocean City, serves the tri-county area of the Lower Eastern Shore to include Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties. Facilities are available to serve 350 individuals and 25 families. Persons served at this location are usually those with very low income, poor, undereducated, marginally employed and/or physically or mentally disabled, mentally ill, chronically ill, or have multifaceted issues that require emergency shelter and support services. Service recipients are allowed to remain for a minimum of 30 days to assist them in moving closer toward self-sufficiency. Diakonia also serves as the Homeless Prevention Rapid Rehousing Provider of financial services for the City of Salisbury. The Executive Director, Claudia Nagle, may be reached at (410) 213-0923.

Samaritan Shelter will receive $10,938.00. The shelter, located in Pocomoke City, serves individuals from the tri-county area to include the City of Salisbury. Individuals are provided with case management services and connectivity to resources to assist them to become self sufficient. Clients are encouraged and assisted to become gainfully employed to assist then to return to independence and to become stably housed. Clients are also provided with assistance to develop skills to help them to combat and overcome poverty and other risk factors that can lead to homelessness. Individuals and families are allowed to stay 30 days up to 5 months at the shelter. This is the seventh year that Samaritan will be funded. The Executive Director, Shelly Daniels, may be reached at (410) 957-4310.
Village of Hope will receive $9,625.00 to assist with operating costs. This is the second year of funding to this organization from the City of Salisbury. The Village of Hope is a transitional shelter program that provides services to homeless women, either single or with dependent children. Clients typically are women who become homeless due to separation, divorce, abuse or death of a spouse. They are usually dependent on the financial support of the significant other and are unable to maintain economic self-sufficiency. Clients usually have low educational achievement and limited job skills or work experience. The Executive Director, Don Clark, may be reached at (410) 860-4806.

Cathedral of Love’s Second Chance Help Emergency Shelter will receive 8,125.00 to assist with operating costs. Second Chance Help is a transitional shelter that provides services year round. This facility has been in operation for 16 years and provides emergency/crisis  shelter services, temporary shelter up to three years, food and clothing assistance. Clients typically have low educational levels, emotional challenges and economic limitations. This is the 7th year the Second Chance Help organization has applied for assistance through the City of Salisbury. The Founder/CEO, Reverend Annette Wilson, may be reached at (410) 742-5386.

The City of Salisbury has applied for Emergency Shelter Grant Funding for the past 10 years from the Department of Housing and Community Development. Applications have been funded in varying amounts each of these years. For more information on the Emergency Shelter Grant Program, contact Dr. Loré L. Chambers, Assistant City Administrator at (410) 548-3100.