Harford County Department of Community Services Receives $40,000 Community Legacy Grant Award

From Harford County government:

The Harford County Department of Community Services is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a Community Legacy grant in the amount of $40,000 from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. The funds will support revitalization efforts in Edgewood. The Department’s Community Development Division applied for the funding in June of 2014 under Edgewood’s recent Sustainable Community designation. This designation makes projects such as housing acquisition, streetscape improvements, bike paths and façade improvements eligible for state funding.

Receipt of this grant award will allow Harford County to partner with Habitat for Humanity Susquehanna to purchase one dilapidated, vacant or foreclosed property in Edgewood.

“Habitat for Humanity will leverage additional funding to rehabilitate the property, making it available for purchase by a low-income, first-time homebuyer. No county funds will be required for this revitalization project,” said Tiffany Robinson, administrator for the Harford County Department of Community Services’ Community Development Division.

The Community Development Division is collaborating with other county departments to identify additional revitalization projects in Edgewood for its 2015 Community Legacy application.

“The county’s goal is to enhance the sense of community in Edgewood through revitalization and reinvestment. The Community Legacy grant award is a great step in the right direction,” Robinson said.

Community Development, a division within the Department of Community Services, is the lead Continuum of Care agency for Harford County. The Division works to end homelessness through a coordinated, community-based process of identifying and addressing the needs in Harford County. In addition, Community Development administers over $3 million annually in local, state, and federal grant funding to support county nonprofits that provide housing and human services to our most vulnerable citizens. The Division also contributes to the development of self-sustaining neighborhoods by funding vital infrastructure improvements, historical preservation projects, ramps and repairs for homeowners, and low-income job creation incentives.