DWD Joins Ames Memorial UMC – Ames Shalom Community, Inc. to Help Revitalize West Baltimore with Pledge to Fund Multi-Phase Development Beginning with a Resource Center
Official Kick Off to Coincide with Issuing of Request For Proposal for Development Partner for 64,000 Sq. Ft. Property Asset Footprint
The Jack and Nancy Dwyer Workforce Development Center, Inc. (“Dwyer Workforce Development” or “DWD”) today announced its commitment to fund and lead a multi-phase project to build its first Dwyer Scholar Healthcare Village in West Baltimore’s Sandtown neighborhood. The Dwyer Scholar Healthcare Village will serve as a comprehensive ecosystem of support, including a resource center, multi-income housing, and a childcare center, available to the organization’s participants – or “Dwyer Scholars.” DWD joins Ames Memorial UMC – Ames Shalom Community, Inc. (“Ames”) and Pastor Rod Hudson to be the foundational partner of the Resurrection Sandtown project to help redevelop a long-neglected stretch of West Baltimore.
DWD CEO Barb Clapp and Pastor Rod Hudson will sign the official memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Thursday, June 8, at 2:30 p.m. on the corner of N. Carey Street and Baker Street, in Baltimore. Ames will disseminate a Request for Proposal for a development partner following signature. The project will start with the renovation of the Ames Memorial United Methodist Church sanctuary, located at 1529 N. Carey Street, in the heart of West Baltimore’s Sandtown neighborhood, which will be the location of DWD’s first Dwyer Scholar Resource Center (“The Center”).
A unique 501(c)(3) nonprofit and healthcare career training program, DWD provides comprehensive support to individuals who lack opportunity and aspire to pursue a career in the healthcare industry, alleviates a severe healthcare workforce shortage, and improves the lives of seniors. The most differentiating element to DWD’s approach is its comprehensive ecosystem of support tools for Dwyer Scholars to eliminate barriers to success.
The Center will offer resources and tools to Dwyer Scholars that might otherwise not be accessible. The Center will provide access to computers, fax machines, printers, and copiers; large conference areas and meeting rooms with Wi-Fi; education on financial literacy, taxes, and health insurance open enrollment; personal safety advocates; and more – all at no cost to participants. Dwyer Scholars will be able to meet with their case managers, and get support with homework, studying, and more. The Center will also serve as a recruitment hub for potential Dwyer Scholars. DWD will hire West Baltimore community members to work at The Center. Additionally, DWD will extend use of The Center and access to resources to nonprofit partners to further mission impact throughout West Baltimore.
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Pastor Hudson and the West Baltimore community on Resurrection Sandtown. When looking for a location for our first Dwyer Scholar Healthcare Village, we wanted to select a region where many of our Dwyer Scholars live and a partner who is committed to doing whatever is necessary to uplift people,” said DWD CEO Barb Clapp. “This is a great fit for us as our mission starts with providing comprehensive support to individuals who lack opportunity, and most residents of West Baltimore are without access to opportunity – so we’re coming to Sandtown. We hope our partnership is the first of many for Resurrection Sandtown. We will be activating our extensive network of likeminded partners to join us and encourage other community members and businesses to join in our commitment as well.”
“It’s been almost exactly one year since the Cook Family, owners of Northeastern Supply, donated the land and buildings of their former location in West Baltimore to Ames Shalom Community, Inc. We’re overjoyed to welcome the Dwyer Family and Dwyer Workforce Development to Sandtown as partners to build the first Dwyer Scholar Healthcare Village on those grounds,” said Ames Memorial UMC Pastor Rod Hudson. “The Dwyers and DWD have come here because Sandtown is a special place with people who are ready for change and where our partnership and the Dwyer Scholar Healthcare Village can have an enormous impact. What was once a spark has grown into a flame that is fueling the fires of hope, opportunity and transformation for our community and the people of Baltimore.”
Later phases of the Dwyer Scholar Healthcare Village development will include a permanent resource center, multi-income housing, and a childcare center – with the goal of providing a nurturing, supportive, and sustainable environment that removes barriers for Dwyer Scholars so they can focus on job training and a path toward life-changing careers.
The Resurrection Sandtown project launched in 2016 to address systemic ills that have led to poverty, inadequate housing, and increased crime in the Sandtown community in West Baltimore. Resurrection Sandtown has a property asset footprint of 64,000 sq. ft. that will be designed in partnership with the community, with residents providing input into their priorities and hopes for the space.
DWD provides free Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training and job placement services to Dwyer Scholars. On a need basis, DWD provides wraparound services, which include financial support for housing, childcare, transportation and more. Dwyer Scholars are paired with case managers who work closely with them to identify career ladder goals to achieve over several years. After reaching those goals, Dwyer Scholars are awarded a full scholarship to achieve their Registered Nurse license or to pursue additional training for other healthcare careers.
Dwyer Workforce Development recruited, trained and place more than 287 CNAs in Maryland in 2022. With an 82-percent retention rate, Dwyer Scholars fill crucial roles in the senior healthcare industry, an industry hard-hit by employment shortages. DWD is currently accepting applications for Dwyer Scholars across Maryland and Texas. Learn more about Dwyer Workforce Development at www.dwyerworkforcedev.org, and apply to be a Dwyer Scholar here.