Congressman Kweisi Mfume has submitted funding requests for important community projects in the 7th Congressional District of Maryland to the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations (“Appropriations Committee”).
Under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee and U.S. House of Representatives (the “U.S. House”), each Member may request funding for up to 15 projects in their community for fiscal year 2025 – although only a handful may actually be funded. Projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Additional information on the reforms governing Community Project Funding is available here.
In compliance with U.S. House Rules and Appropriations Committee requirements, Congressman Mfume has certified that he, his spouse, and his immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects he has requested. Selected fiscal year 2025 Community Project Funding requests are listed alphabetically by the project sponsor’s name.
Project Sponsor: The Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City
Project Name: Victim Witness Protection Program
Project Location: 120 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Requested Amount: $450,000
Project Description: This funding will support the relocation of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney's (BCSAO) Office of Victim Witness Relocation, and create a more appropriate, secure, soundproofed, and trauma-informed space. The plan is a comprehensive blueprint that reflects our commitment to serving the people of Baltimore with integrity, innovation, and excellence. In the pursuit of justice, this strategic plan outlines the prosecution, business, and modernization priorities and—most importantly—the actions the BCSAO will take to ensure victims’ rights are protected and witnesses feel safe enough to come forward, so that perpetrators are held accountable. The Relocation Unit aims to serve as the center hub for all relocation services for victims and witnesses within Baltimore City. BCSAO works collaboratively and efficiently with the Baltimore Police Department, and other community partners. Establishing a secure and trauma-informed office and reception space that is suitable to receive individuals who may have experienced the most traumatic event of their lives is a crucial part of witness protection. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Baltimore County, Maryland
Project Name: Fleming Park Upgrades
Project Location: 641 Main Street, Dundalk, MD 21222
Requested Amount: $500,000
Project Description: Fleming Park is a waterfront jewel and community anchor in Turner Station, one of Baltimore County's oldest and most well-known historically black communities. Originally built in the late-1800s for African American residents who worked at Bethlehem Steel and manufacturing factories across the region, Turner Station is deeply linked to economic anchors at Sparrows Point and the Port of Baltimore. Located on the Patapsco River, Turner Station residents relied on the Francis Scott Key Bridge for regional connectivity and access to the many economic opportunities surrounding the port. The $500,000 in funding will support the revitalization of Fleming Park and accelerate the efforts of Baltimore County in moving the community further along to attaining the economic investment Turner Station deserves. The Department of Recreation and Parks is currently working on an enhancement project that includes a pier replacement and a new accessible path to the pier. A pavilion replacement was proposed as part of this project but was cut from the scope due to budget and site constraints. The current pavilion is located just outside of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Buffer Area. A new location has been identified where a new pavilion could be constructed increasing accessibility for community members. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Baltimore County, Maryland
Project Name: Veterans Park Upgrades
Project Location: 4 Center Place, Dundalk, MD 21222
Requested Amount: $1,000,000
Project Description: The $1,000,000 in funding will support the revitalization of Veterans Park, simultaneously retaining and growing economic investment in Dundalk. Veterans Park serves as the town center and heart of Dundalk, an unincorporated interracial and intergenerational working-class Baltimore County, Maryland community of 67,000 residents that thrived through its heyday as the home of Sparrow's Point steel mill, once the world's largest steel producer. Sparrow's Point began a gradual decline in the 1960s and closed its doors in 2012. 30,000 jobs were lost, the community faced environmental challenges due to land and water contamination, and the community has been broadly challenged because of the lack of investment following the closing of the mill. These challenges have been exacerbated by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which connected Dundalk with the rest of the region. The funding will accelerate the efforts of Baltimore County by moving the community further along in the effort to retain and grow the economic investment Dundalk deserves. Baltimore County will work collaboratively to ensure that the best days for formerly industrial towns like Dundalk are ahead. Transforming Veterans Park into a vibrant, urban greenspace will assist in drawing the economic investment that Dundalk needs to thrive. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Maryland Port Administration
Project Name: Port of Baltimore Two-Way Radios for Port Security
Project Location: 401 E Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202
Requested Amount: $905,000
Project Description: This project aims to ensure a secure, reliable, and enhanced ability for interagency communications with Federal, State, local government entities, first responders, and private sector partners in the Sector Maryland-National Capital Region- Atlantic Area (NC-AOR), Port of Baltimore area, to exchange voice, video and data information for security operations and during emergency incidents. The $905,000 in funding will enhance and replace the End-of-Service Life (EOSL) of 115 handheld radios with EOSL dates of 2019 and 2023. These devices comply with the “SAFECOM guidance on Emergency Communications Grants,” including provisions on technical standards that ensure and enhance interoperable communications for security and emergency events. The Maryland Port Administration’s (MPA) Office of Security is responsible for overseeing contract security personnel who in turn are responsible for conducting access control duties at each of MPA's regulated marine terminals which are Dundalk and Seagirt Marine Terminals, North Locust Point Marine Terminal, South Locust Point Marine Terminal, South Locust Point Cruise Terminal and Fairfield Marine Terminal. The contract with the MPA for security personnel services is with Securitas, Inc. The Office of Security also works in accordance with an agreement with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police (MdTA Police) who are responsible for law enforcement and patrol functions on MPA terminals. The Director of Security is the Facility Security Officer responsible for maintaining a security plan for each regulated MPA terminal. Each MPA facility security plan must be approved by the Captain of the Port, United States Coast Guard (USCG). The Coast Guard was given authority under MTSA to impose fines and penalties for non-compliance with MTSA requirements. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: City of Baltimore
Project Name: Storm Sewer H&H Model for Flood Hazard Mitigation
Project Location: City Wide
Requested Amount: $4,000,000
Project Description: This funding supports the development of an integrated, dynamic hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) model for the City’s municipal separate storm sewer system. The model will enable the City to identify current and potential risks for flooding and to evaluate flood mitigation solutions. As a major port city, Baltimore regularly experiences various types of flooding: in-land (pluvial), riverine (fluvial), and tidal (coastal). Since many of the City’s natural streams were buried in the separate storm sewer system in the early 20th century, many of the flood events occur outside of the regulated floodplain and the impacts are under-reported to the data sources that government agencies typically use to assess flood impacts. A City-wide H&H model would enable the City to identify flood risks from a variety of causes that may be otherwise under-reported and thus not prioritized. In addition to the H&H model development, an interactive model viewer and dashboard will be created for City agencies and stakeholders to visualize model results in both plan view and through the use of street-view flood renderings. The dashboard will enhance the ability to communicate potential projects and policies, and enable communities to understand the risks associated with extreme rain events and become active co-designers of flood mitigation plans. In 2017, Baltimore City participated in a workshop conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, (NAS) as part of a study requested by FEMA, to gain an initial understanding of the causes and impacts urban flooding in metropolitan areas. The Study (“Framing the Challenge of Urban Flooding in the United States”, 2019) found that “an established method for analyzing flood hazard is needed”. The “Baltimore Urban Waters Flood Science and Policy Workshop Action Report” (EPA 840-R-21-004, September 2021) found that street flood hazards could be better identified by using the best available modeling resources. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Roca Baltimore, LLC
Project Name: Stopping Violence Through Employment
Project Location: 880 Park Avenue Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21201
Requested Amount: $1,001,875
Project Description: This funding will allow Roca Baltimore to expand their transitional employment program (TEP), which is an evidence-based model of supported employment, and acts as a critical behavior change accelerator. Through this program, Roca operates supervised work crews that engage in partially subsidized work projects contracted through municipal public works departments and private companies to give young people entry-level work experience in a variety of fields and occupations. Additionally, Roca’s transitional employment opportunities provide participants with low-risk situations where they can practice Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills, emotional regulation, and essential life skills. For Roca participants, transitional jobs serve as the first step toward permanent employment and economic opportunity. Roca Baltimore will engage 100 of Baltimore’s highest-risk young people, those driving violence across the community, in an enhanced employment training program delivered in tandem with an intensive behavior-change model. This expansion will provide young people with the skills necessary to sustain long-term employment and embark on a pathway out of violence and poverty. Young people offered a slot on the work crew work four days a week earning minimum wage (currently $15/hour), with the fifth day a development day dedicated to improving employment skills. After completing 60 consecutive days of work, they are offered a job placement outside of Roca. Increased, successful engagement in employment will decrease the criminal and violent behaviors of the young people we serve, making both them and our communities safer. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Project Name: UMBC Laboratory for Flood Risk Impact Assessment and Adaptation in Marginalized Maryland Community
Project Location: 100 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250
Requested Amount: $1,200,000
Project Description: This funding will be used to establish the new University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Laboratory for Flood Risk Impact Assessment and Adaptation in Marginalized Maryland Communities and enable them to conduct the initial studies for this project. Coastal communities in Maryland, particularly near shorelines such as Turner Station and Brooklyn, are experiencing increased threats to human lives and livelihoods. These hazards can be felt more substantially in vulnerable populations, such as in communities with significant numbers of persons of color and of low-income families. In many cases, these hazards are compounded by uneven geographies of housing stemming from a long history of unfair, racist housing practices such as racial covenants, exclusionary zoning, redlining, blockbusting, predatory mortgage lending, and predatory ground rent. UMBC will utilize a mixed-methods approach to combine topographically based hydrological analysis and long-term mapping from the American Community Survey with participatory methods and interviews. They will also implement both physical and computer hydrological models to determine the flood risk threat to selected vulnerable coastal communities in Baltimore. UMBC has a newly designed laboratory which has a dual function, designed both for wet chemistry and physical hydrology studies (wet lab portion) as well as for stakeholder meetings with team members and external partners (dry lab portion). The Primary Investigators are well-positioned to lead this project based on their combined 38 years of research experience and alignment with the research topics. This research project builds on the PIs’ expertise in flood risk management, urban stormwater systems, watershed ecosystem analysis, participatory and community-engaged research, social justice, urban analysis, and economic geography. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Baltimore Police Department
Project Name: Computer Aided Dispatch Replacement
Project Location: 601 E. Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Requested Amount: $5,000,000
Project Description: This funding will be used towards the replacement of the City’s aging Computer-Aided Dispatch System that is nearly twenty years old. This system is used by fire, police, and other city agencies to prioritize and record calls as an emergency or non-emergency incident. The computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system for Baltimore City is utilized by Baltimore Police Department (BPD) and Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) dispatchers; as well as 911 specialists, the Baltimore City Police Telephone Report Unit (TRU) and the Department of Public Works (DPW). Additionally, this system supports identifying the status and location of responders in the field, potential hazardous locations, and partnering with external agencies or resources to effectively support public safety responses to needs of constituents. However, the current CAD system for Baltimore City is outdated, which has created obstacles with launching Next Generation 911 applications and daily operations for all entities using the system. CAD Enhancements are no longer being developed by the manufacturer and the manufacturer plans to announce a schedule for discontinuing the software, foreshadowing future disruptions in daily operations and interoperability. In FY2024, Baltimore City Information and Technology is migrating from the current analog infrastructure to a digital internet protocol-based infrastructure. This migration project goal is to provide a foundation to comply with the standards for Next Generation 911 (NG911). It is imperative and critical by technology standards that the current CAD environment is replaced to comply with NG911 standards. The current developmental status of the project to replace the CAD software is in the planning and preparation phase. The needs assessment has been completed and the request for proposals is complete and ready to initiate through the procurement process when funds are secured. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Housing Authority of Baltimore City
Project Name: Perkins Somerset Oldtown South Central Park
Project Location: 417 East Fayette Street, Suite 923, Baltimore, MD 21202
Requested Amount: $2,000,000
Project Description: This funding will support the construction of South-Central Park, a new 1.5-acre park to be located within the Perkins Homes Neighborhood as part of the revitalization effort in Perkins, Somerset and Oldtown (PSO). Beginning in 2014, the City of Baltimore and the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC) began a comprehensive planning effort with residents and other local stakeholders to develop a plan for neighborhood transformation. The PSO Transformation Plan is a comprehensive revitalization strategy aimed at addressing the historic challenges faced by the neighborhoods, including the lack of quality housing, the dearth of neighborhood amenities, and the widespread economic disparities residents in these neighborhoods face relative to stable surrounding neighborhoods like Fells Point, Harbor East, and the Johns Hopkins University Medical Campus. South Central Park, which is included in the Plan, will be located at the heart of the Perkins Homes redevelopment bordered by new complete streets, mixed-income residential buildings, and neighborhood-serving retail. While the ultimate design of the park is being defined, the residents of Perkins have participated in a series of design surveys, meetings, and charrettes to make clear what plantings, elements, and activities would be most beneficial for the community. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Baltimore County, Maryland
Project Name: Randallstown Library and Recreation Center
Project Location: 8212 Liberty Road, Windsor, MD 21244
Requested Amount: $1,500,000
Project Description: This funding will support the design, construction and equipping of a shared 21st-century facility with dedicated spaces for the Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) in Randallstown. A new facility would address current issues of insufficient and functionally inadequate space and include 50,000 sq. ft. for Library use. The current Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) Randallstown Branch serves a population of over 49,000 residents, and saw over 100,000 visitors last year. The existing 2-floor Randallstown library fails to meet Maryland library facilities standards of one square foot of library space per capita. The branch has inadequate space and insufficient systems to support expansion of 21st-century library services within the current footprint. For example, despite the square footage and several study rooms, the building still lacks sufficient seating, independent and collaborative workspaces, and dedicated study spaces to meet the needs of the many children, students, families, and adults who visit the branch daily and weekly. Electrical outlets for customer use are still at a premium on the primary public floor. The single public meeting room is insufficient given the level of community use and use by the library to support a robust schedule of ongoing programming and engagement activities. Restrooms are small and insufficient given the volume of traffic. The existing HVAC and plumbing systems are aging and periodically problematic. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: City of Baltimore
Project Name: 911 Diversion Expansion
Project Location: 2700 Rayner Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21216
Requested Amount: $2,300,000
Project Description: This funding will be used to support the expansion of Baltimore’s 911 diversion program to include non-behavioral health call types. Baltimore’s 911 Behavioral Health Diversion program, housed within the city’s emergency response network and implemented in partnership with the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore City Fire Department, Behavioral Health Systems Baltimore, and Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc., currently focuses specifically on suicidal ideation and threat calls, with plans to add other behavioral health call types. Since its launch as a pilot in June 2021, the diversion program has resolved more than 600 calls and activated over 187 mobile crisis team responses. Expansion beyond behavioral health to include a wider range of non-violent, non-criminal calls is key toward further reducing dependency on police and empowering professional community responders who are trained to meet residents’ needs. Many 911 calls do not involve crimes, violence, or urgent medical needs. Such calls, which are often not best suited for police/fire/EMS response, are potentially appropriate for diversion to alternative responders equipped to most effectively resolve immediate issues as well as provide connections to needed services for ongoing support. By reducing unnecessary law enforcement encounters, 911 diversion improves police-community relations while increasing patrol officers’ capacity to deter and solve crimes. Baltimore City’s existing behavioral health diversion program provides a successful blueprint for expansion, with applicable intake and dispatch protocols already in place. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Tendea Family Inc.
Project Name: Tendea Family's After School Patrol and Cadet Program
Project Location: 4462 Saint Georges Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21212
Requested Amount: $200,000
Project Description: This funding will support the After School Patrol Program and Cadet Program, which is a community facilitated violence prevention and public safety initiative in Baltimore City initiated in response to a reported rise in after school fights, knifings, and shootings in 2023. The After School Patrol Program recruits and trains young boys in conflict resolution, conflict mediation, and restorative practices. Simultaneously, the Cadet Program is a year-round, youth diversion and education program based in Baltimore City’s McElderry Community. The Cadet Program's purpose is to empower and prepare vulnerable youth to be the leaders their community needs by leveraging cultural assets to provide skills based training and mentorship, literary and reading support, financial literacy training, entrepreneurship, trade, college preparation support, public speaking and community outreach training. Since November 2023, Tendea Family has conducted over 50 successful and impactful ASP initiatives. The After School Patrol currently serves Tench Tilghman Elementary School and Tench Tilghman Middle School, located in the McElderry Park community of East Baltimore. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: National Center on Institutions and Alternatives Inc.
Project Name: Vocational Training and Employment for Baltimore Returning Citizens
Project Location: 7130 Rutherford Road, Baltimore, MD 21244
Requested Amount: $1,000,000
Project Description: This funding will provide training, wraparound services, employment counseling and retention support for 50 Baltimore residents, preventing recidivism by preparing formerly incarcerated people for vocational careers, with skills training, industry certifications and employment. The Vocational Training Center (VTC) offers transformational opportunities to unemployed and under-employed residents of Baltimore City each year, many of whom are returning citizens. During the 17-week course, participants train in their choice of three high-demand fields: Automotive Mechanics, Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and HVAC/R, gaining marketable skills and earning nationally recognized certifications. Vocational skills training, combined with the VTC’s comprehensive barrier mitigation services, opens a door for participants to unlock their potential. The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and the District Court Re-Entry Project are important VTC partners in ensuring the success of our re-entry participants. Increased opportunities for gainful employment are key for reducing crime, poverty and recidivism in Baltimore City. With an average starting wage of $20 per hour, VTC alumni move from dependency on public assistance to knowing the dignity of self-reliance. The VTC demonstrates a substantial return on investment with immediate impact: Funding 50 program participants, with a 75% employment rate, will create $3,120,000 in new taxable wages per year, and with it, an economic boost for the District. By addressing barriers and providing robust support, the VTC helps returning citizens foster a sense of purpose. With skills and credentials in hand, they can secure meaningful work, build a hopeful future and strengthen their communities. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Center for Hope, Inc.
Project Name: Center for Hope Expansion of Trauma and Victim Services
Project Location: 5400 Preakness Way, Baltimore, MD 21215
Requested Amount: $800,000
Project Description: The Center for Hope houses a network of violence intervention and prevention programs in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, including crisis intervention, counseling, case management, advocacy and support services, forensic interviews and medical exams, mediation, safety planning, emergency shelter, and hospital bed-side visits. The $800,000 funding will enable Center for Hope personnel to assess capacity and scale up its triage team, build a Baltimore-wide referral network, and coordinate a centralized intake and referral system. More specifically, this project will support the collective efforts of health systems in the Baltimore region to address the interpersonal safety social determinants of health (SDOH) needs of their patients by: 1. Launching a 24-hour answer line to centralize intake and streamline a referral process for both internal programs and external resources located within partner organizations; 2. Expanding the Center for Hope training and outreach team to continuously build the Baltimore-wide SDOH referral network; and 3. Expanding the Center for Hope program evaluation team, to ensure the effectiveness of service delivery. As demand increases for programs to address trauma induced by violence, mental health concerns, and healthy coping mechanisms within all of health care in Baltimore, Center for Hope is uniquely positioned to meet the personal safety needs of the community by offering assistance with transportation, housing, utilities, and food insecurity needs. With programs focused on intimate partner violence, child abuse and exploitation, elder justice, human trafficking, and community gun violence, Center for Hope helps over 7,000 clients annually. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)
Project Sponsor: Maryland Department of Transportation
Project Name: West Baltimore MARC Station Replacement – Non-Amtrak Funded Station Renovation
Project Location: 401 Smallwood Street, Baltimore, MD 21223
Requested Amount: $5,000,000
Project Description: This funding provides for an in-kind replacement of the West Baltimore Station on MARC’s Penn Line with high-level, ADA-accessible platforms, and community-driven investments to be covered by the requested funds. The project as currently funded covers major infrastructure improvements, such as a complete replacement of the station itself, new ADA access via elevators and ramps, and covered stairs with platform canopies. However, Amtrak’s scope without these requested funds leaves this planned facility lacking in passenger- and community-facing amenities. Community-driven investments to be covered by the requested funds and matching funds from the State of Maryland will include restrooms, indoor waiting areas, real-time coordinated signage, improvement to access routes, and MARC passenger communications systems. These improvements will guarantee a more seamless transit service delivery experience critical to truly addressing the needs of the community. Additionally, the grade separation from the NEC, ADA accessibility improvements, and enhanced lighting and sight lines combine for a safe and secure environment as transit users navigate travel between northbound and southbound platforms. (Link to Member Financial Disclosure Certification and Federal Nexus Statement)