Asylee Women Enterprise, also known as "AWE," journeys with asylum seekers and other forced migrants as they navigate the immigration legal process, begin to heal from past trauma and rebuild their lives in Baltimore. While each asylum seeker has a unique personal situation, the general profile includes having fled their country of origin, often on very short notice including overnight, due to their lives being at risk. This is usually because of persecution for political, religious or ethnic reasons. Many have been the victims of torture, rape or other forms of extreme violence. Most arrive alone, without family, friends or local community ties; many have been lost or separated from a spouse or child. They arrive in need of safe housing, language skills, counseling for PTSD and depression, support navigating other resources (medical, legal, mental health) and material needs (food, shelter). Individuals served range in age from 0 - 75 and are primarily from Africa, the Middle East and Central America. Since asylum seekers are not eligible to work in the initial stages of their legal process and are ineligible for means tested benefits, nearly 100% of our clients are living below the federal poverty line with no access to traditional safety nets, unemployment insurance or the federal stimulus that others impacted by COVID-19 have been able to access.

The CSRC grant will be used to scale pantry operations, client advocacy and other supports to community members (primarily asylum seekers and immigrants with uncertain legal status) that are largely neglected in broader initiatives due to their language, immigration status, lack of familiarity with resources and limited transportation.

Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) is a broad-based, non-partisan, interfaith, multiracial community power organization rooted in Baltimore’s neighborhoods and congregations. Turnaround Tuesday is a jobs movement of the BUILD (Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development) Organization. Over the past five and a half years we have helped over 860 people get livable wage jobs, with a two year retention rate of 83%. Sixty-five percent of the people we serve are ex-offenders. The average hourly rate is $15. Several of our employed participants have now become homeowners. The Covid-19 Pandemic has drastically impacted the people that Turnaround Tuesday serves. Several people have been laid-off or furloughed from their jobs. This has caused a tremendous burden and financial hardship on families. The pandemic has also slowed the potential for employment opportunities for many of the people that we have prepared to go to work. The Turnaround Tuesday staff has remained employed and providing daily contact with our participants and preparing them for opportunities when the pandemic ends. The gaps that will be address with these funds include food and financial emergency support as well as additional Case Management services needed to help people understand and navigate these uncertain times. Many people are experiencing psychological issues and are having difficulties coping. Our Case Manager is a licensed Mental Health Therapist. Turnaround Tuesday had to cease our weekly job readiness sessions and revert to a weekly video session. The CSRC grant will be used to support BUILD’s Turnaround Tuesday Jobs Movement efforts to distribute food, soap, personal protective equipment (PPE) and laptop devices for remote job training during the pandemic.

CASA Maryland is a group of passionate, community-conscious people working to organize, advocate for, and expand opportunities for Latino and immigrant people in the state of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. We do this by providing employment placement; workforce development and training; health education; citizenship and legal services; and financial, language, and literacy training to Latino and immigrant communities throughout the state. Since our humble beginnings in 1985 assisting Central American refugees fleeing wars and civil strife at home, we have worked tirelessly to bring immigrant communities in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania out of the shadows and into greater power, dignity, and legitimacy. Our mission is To create a more just society by building power and improving the quality of life in working class and immigrant communities. We envision a future where we stand in our own power, our families live free from discrimination and fear, and our diverse communities thrive as we work with our partners to achieve full human rights for all. The grant will contribute to CASA’s Solidarity Fund which will allow CASA to directly distribute cash benefits to members who were unjustly and summarily ignored by the federal government in the CARES Act stimulus package.

Baltimore Ceasefire 365  offers a community based approach to gun violence reduction. Many crime rates have dropped in Baltimore during the pandemic, but gun violence continues. The goal of Baltimore Ceasefire 365 is for everyone in the city to commit to zero murders. We started by calling ceasefire weekends, where we ask everyone to be peaceful and celebrate life. In doing the outreach for ceasefire weekends, residents are: helping each other get the resources they need in their lives, having conversations with each other about how to handle conflict differently, and making commitments to one another to be non-violent in thoughts, words, and deeds, for AT LEAST the ceasefire weekend. When people are killed in Baltimore, we believe that their lives matter. We believe that the places where people are taken by violence should be Sacred Ground. We believe that just like somebody showed up to kill them, people should show up in that same space to send love and light to that person's spirit, to the community, and to their loved ones. During Sacred Space Rituals, people are invited to do whatever they believe will put love and light in the space. Baltimoreans show up to make sure that love has the last say in that space, how much the person matters has the last say in that space, and that murder does not have the last say. Baltimore Ceasefire 365 volunteers who have been trained to facilitate these Rituals are the people who schedule when they happen. Trained facilitators see who has been murdered, and check their calendars to see when they are available to bless the space. The CSRC grant will allow us to provide outreach materials, support families who lose loved ones to violence during ceasefire weekends, and to expand Baltimore's ability to address and heal the root causes and impacts of violence.