FY2011 Annual Report July 1, June 30, Maryland at UWCM FY2011 Annual Report July 1, June 30, 2011

FY 2011 in Review The challenges presented to individuals, families and nonprofits by difficult economic conditions in FY 2010 continued in FY Low-income and middle class individuals and families struggled to make ends meet as personal and public resources declined. We observed the following trends during FY 2011: Many of those who turned to MD at UWCM for help did so for the first time in their lives. More callers reported mental health issues stemming from financial stress. Many of the organizations to which we referred clients were themselves struggling to meet the growing demand. Calls became more complex, with callers presenting multiple needs. Given the complexity of needs and strains on community resources, calls tended to take longer to handle. As in FY 2010, housing assistance was the second greatest service request across the region in FY However, mortgage assistance requests declined while rent assistance requests increased. We appreciate our funders, sponsors, volunteers and interns who enabled us to provide comprehensive information and referral, crisis intervention, advocacy and follow-up services to callers. This year we received funding from the Constellation Energy Group, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Maryland State Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), France- Merrick and United Way of Central Maryland. Students from UMBC helped us with follow-up, which resulted in a significant increase in follow-up calls completed. MPH students from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health conducted a performance measurement evaluation of our program and made recommendations for maximizing our impact, which we will incorporate into our work plan for FY As economic uncertainty continues, and deep cuts to social programs are predicted, we anticipate even more central Marylanders turning to MD at UWCM for help in FY We will build on what we learned and collaborate with community partners to effectively meet the challenges that lie ahead Maryland Sponsors 2

FY 2011 Highlights DHHS Grant MD at UWCM was awarded a grant from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that enabled the hiring of an I & R specialist in October 2010 and the purchase of a new phone system, which will enable remote access, provide customizable reports, and allow for in-house adjustments to call routing and scripts. France-Merrick Foundation Grant - awarded a $13,500 grant from France- Merrick Foundation to purchase and set-up laptops for 2-1-1’s staff use at home or other remote locations. In the event of another historic snowstorm or other critical incident preventing access to the office, staff will be able to log onto the phone system at home and handle calls remotely. Free Tax Preparation Support - With funding from Bank of America, MD at UWCM partnered with Baltimore CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) to offer free tax preparation services in the Belair-Edison neighborhood which had no free tax services and a high percentage of working families that qualify for assistance. With a grant from Wal-Mart Foundation, MD at UWCM and Maryland CASH partnered to expand free tax preparation services in Harford County. Funds from this grant allowed Harford County to offer drop-in services at several non-profits in areas where rural families face major transportation challenges MD at UWCM answered 3814 calls about free tax preparation services, an 8% increase over FY Harvest of Plenty - Every year since 1993, the United Way of Central Maryland and the Maryland Food Bank partner to conduct a Thanksgiving assistance program for low-income households in the greater Baltimore area. In FY 2011, we tripled the number of households that received fixings for a nutritious Thanksgiving meal--from 600 in FY 2010 to 1800 in FY Additionally, we expanded the service area to include all of central Maryland. 3

Total Calls Answered Comparing FY2011 to FY While the total number of calls answered by MD at UWCM from all areas, decreased by 10%, the total number of answered calls from central Maryland increased by 5%.

Total Calls Answered Call Volume by County FY2010 & FY2011 5

Highest Call Volumes Top 10 Zip Codes 6 Balt = Baltimore; W, E, C, NE = West, East, Central, North East Map provided by

Top Three Zip Codes per Jurisdiction 7 AA= Anne Arundel BC= Baltimore City B=Baltimore County CC = Carroll HF = Harford, HW = Howard

Top 3 Highest Call Volume Zip Codes per Jurisdiction 8 Map provided by

FY2011 Callers by Gender & Age A consistent trend of more female callers Most of the callers are between the ages of 30 and 59 9

How Callers Learned About MD at UWCM 10

Top Services Requested FY2010 & FY

Top Services Requested by Jurisdiction 12 With the exception of Baltimore City, Utility Assistance was the topmost request across all the jurisdictions.

Follow-up Data*: Reason for Not Receiving Service 13 * Represents less than 1% of callers

Making a Difference… Success Stories  A woman called from Glen Burnie seeking assistance with her gas and electric bill. The I & R specialist provided her with six resources for utility assistance in her area. A follow-up call revealed that the caller did receive the help she needed. The caller stated, "It was a blessing!" She was able to get financial assistance from NCEON and her utility service was restored that day. She was very satisfied with and the referral agency.  Mrs. G called looking for a food pantry. Mrs. G and her husband were in a position financially where they couldn’t afford necessities such as food, so she was looking for a church or organization that could provide her with some type of assistance. Mrs. G spoke to a information and referral (I&R) specialist, who referred her to four programs. One of the referrals, the food pantry at Rising Sun First Baptist Church, was able to provide Mrs. G and her husband with four bags of food containing canned goods, nuts, soup, potatoes, and spinach. She was elated and gracious when speaking about the help provided to her by Rising Sun Church, saying that the “lady was wonderful.” Ms. G. was “so thankful” for the help she received from and said that if she ever needs help with anything in the future, she will make sure to call Maryland.  Ms. C called seeking eviction prevention in Owings Mills. The I & R specialist referred the caller to five resources for this service in her area. A follow-up call revealed that Ms. C received the help she needed from Baltimore County DSS and We are Family. Ms. C was very satisfied with both and the referral agencies. 14

Moving Forward… Our priorities for the coming year include: First Quarter FY 2012 – Installation of new phone system. – Installation of laptops and phones at homes of staff. Testing of remote access. – UMBC interns to assist with follow-up. Second Quarter FY 2012 – Increase outreach efforts in Howard County. – Increase SNAP (Food Stamps) outreach efforts to improve participation of eligible central Maryland residents in SNAP. – Register 2000 low-income central Maryland residents to receive Thanksgiving boxes through the Harvest of Plenty program. – Site visit by AIRS accreditation review team. Third Quarter – EITC awareness and free tax preparation services campaign. Fourth Quarter – Apply for American Association of Suicidology Accreditation. Glossary DHMH - Department of Health and Mental Hygiene DHCD - Department of Housing and Community Development DHR - Department of Human Resources UWCM - United Way of Central Maryland I&R Specialist – Information and Referral Specialist EITC – Earned Income Tax Credit For more information about this report call: