Jobs for youth have always been a challenge, and the recession has made this worse. According to the Department of Labor, 25% of all unemployed individuals are under the age of 25 and the number of employed teens has declined by 23% in recent years. Less than 14% of low income teens currently hold a legitimate job. Traditional strategies have failed to adequately address the problem. Continue reading
Recognizing the solutions are complex, one of the issues we are tackling today along with our partners in the Baltimore Homeownership Preservation Coalition is how best to intervene earlier in the foreclosure process. For the health of our city neighborhoods, we recognize the need to help people stay in their homes, whether homeowners or renters. Continue reading
Just before the holidays, the Governor quietly submitted a letter to chairmen of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and the House Committee on Appropriations. The letter includes a new recommendation that the State spend millions of dollars to build a 120-bed facility for youth under 18 charged as adults rather than a 180-bed facility, as originally planned. Continue reading
This week we commemorate the birthday and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. One of my first childhood memories is of sitting in the kitchen of my grandparents’ west Baltimore home watching my family react to the breaking news of Dr. King’s assassination. I was only 3-years-old, but their reaction, and the fires, which destroyed blocks not far from our home, made me certain that something had gone terribly wrong. Continue reading