ENOUGH Program Will Give Voice to Golden Mile Community

County to Use Grant to Develop Action Plan

FREDERICK, Md. - People who live along the Route 40 corridor on the west side of the City of Frederick soon have new ways to help shape the future of their neighborhoods. Frederick County is working with the City, Frederick County Public Schools, and local organizations to develop a Neighborhood Action Plan, which will include the creation of a Community Voice Committee. The effort is being funded by a $300,000 grant from the State's ENOUGH program. ENOUGH stands for Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments, and Households. The County's Division of Family Services and Local Management Board received one of the program's inaugural grants last week.

"We believe in a Frederick County where everyone can thrive while enjoying a strong sense of place and belonging," County Executive Jessica Fitzwater said. "By giving us better tools to fight concentrated poverty, the ENOUGH initiative will take us one step closer to making that vision a reality for all of our residents. I am grateful to Governor Moore for helping us to reach people where they are."

Governor Wes Moore launched ENOUGH as a first-of-its-kind, community-based strategy to address concentrated child poverty in Maryland. The program is part of a $20 million historic investment to support communities as they develop solutions to deeply rooted challenges.

To be eligible for an ENOUGH Grant, a program must focus on communities with high levels of child poverty. More than 1 out of 3 children in the neighborhoods along the Golden Mile live in poverty. Many attend Hillcrest and Waverley Elementary Schools, which have child poverty concentration rates of 93% and 86%, respectively.

Frederick County Government will work with over 40 community partners to develop a Neighborhood Action Plan. The goal of the plan will be to reduce childhood poverty by increasing investments in the area and improving economic mobility. Part of the plan will be to develop a Community Voice Committee to identify what specific resources residents need.

"In collaboration with our community partners, the ENOUGH Grant will prioritize community voice in creating systems for change, concentrating on those parts of our county where ending child poverty is essential to healthy outcomes for all residents," said Division of Family Services Deputy Director Leshia Chandler.

To learn more about this initiative, contact the Division of Family Services at 301-600-1200 or visit FrederickCountyMD.gov/ENOUGH.

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Contact: Vivian Laxton, Director
Office of Communications & Public Engagement
301-600-6740