ANNAPOLIS (September 18, 2007)—Angel's Watch Regional Women's Shelter in Hughesville has received a $19,980 grant from the Rural Maryland Council (RMC). The shelter is one of six organizations across the state selected by the RMC to receive a total of $100,000 in grants from its direct service grant program, Strengthening the Well Being of Rural Maryland Families.
Angel's Watch Regional Women's Shelter is the only regional shelter serving homeless women from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties, many of whom are homeless due, primarily, to their inability to earn a living-wage and secure affordable housing. This represents a shift away from barriers related mostly to chronic alcohol, drug or mental health issues.
The shelter collaborates with community partners to offer intensive job readiness services, assistance securing affordable housing, and personalized services to help them with unsubsidized child care, accessible transportation, financial management, asset acquisition, community involvement, and related services.
The shelter is operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
The RMC, which is administering the program for the third year in a row, received applications from 14 organizations which, together, applied for nearly $269,000.
"This level of requests is both a testament to the effective work of past grantees but also an indication of the growing need for more resources in Maryland's rural areas," said RMC Executive Director David M. Jenkins. "We are very pleased to be working with the Annie E. Casey Foundation for a third year to bring much needed resources to some of the most distressed families in our state."
This initiative, made possible with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, awards grants to non-profit organizations that help disadvantaged families in rural areas improve their financial literacy and stability.
The Rural Maryland Council is an independent state agency that brings together community-based organizations, federal, state, county and municipal government officials as well as representatives of the for-profit and nonprofit sectors to identify and seek solutions to the unique needs of Rural Maryland communities. As a collaborative partnership, the RMC operates in a nonpartisan and nondiscriminatory manner.