Maryland State Wire

Young people in Carroll County will be among those who will benefit when the county's Local Management Board (LMB) receives more than $500,000 of the almost $20 million in statewide grants from the Children's Cabinet Fund as announced by Gov. Larry Hogan's office this month, a local official said during a recent interview.

"The programs funded by the Governor's Office for Children help Carroll's most vulnerable citizens, our youth, navigate a complicated system with individualized case plans which address barriers preventing them from fully engaging in their communities," Carroll County LMB Manager Lisa Hecker said during a Maryland State Wire email interview. "This funding enables Carroll County to provide programming not available from traditional funding sources."

Carroll County LMB will receive $551,102 for a local care team coordinator, programs and strategies and board support from the $19.6 million in awards announced in non-competitive grants to fund more than 120 child- and family-focused community-based programs in Maryland in Fiscal Year 2019. The grants were announced by Hogan's office July 5.

"For Fiscal Year 2019, the Carroll County Local Management Board will continue two youth programs initiated in Fiscal Year 2018, Customized Employment and Connecting Youth in Carroll," Hecker said "These programs both provide support for young adults transitioning to the adult work-world."

The grant funds to Carroll County LMB also will benefit two other programs, Family Ties and Project Connect, support children and families affected by incarceration, Hecker said.  

"The first, Family Ties, is a parent visitation program at the Carroll County Detention Center providing parenting classes and face-to-face visits with minor children during detention," she said. "This program is the only one in the state allowing contact visitation outside of the jail setting.  Project Connect supports children and partners of those incarcerated with resources and case management. Both of these programs ensure successful reunification when detention concludes."

All four programs conform to state identified child well being result areas for Carroll County.  

LMBs, which are located in all Maryland counties and in the city of Baltimore to coordinate resources at the local level with an eye toward strengthening services provided to children, youth and families, all received a share of the grants announced by the governor's office. The grants are intended to assist LMBs in their work to coordinate resources at the local level and strengthen services to children, youth, and families, the governor's office said in the announcement.

"In counties across Maryland, LMBs are tasked with identifying community needs and gaps in services," Hecker said. "In the last several years, Carroll County determined there was a need for youth services focused on substance use treatment and case management.  The county also found there were few programs to support children whose parents are detained at our local detention center."

Fiscal 2019 will not the the first time that Carroll County LMB has received funds from the Governor's Office for Children, Hecker said. Carroll County has received the grants annually since 1996. "Carroll County applies each year in anticipation of renewed funding," Hecker said.

"The level of funding remains stable from year to year, however the programs change according to the needs of the county."