Baltimore Fishbowl: Sixteen groups to receive $50M to transform vacant properties in Baltimore City (Aliza Worthington)
Gov. Wes Moore announced who will receive $50 million in grant awards to help reduce the number of vacant properties in Baltimore City.
These grants are through the Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative (BVRI), a program that helps redevelop vacant properties.
Awardees include Baltimore Redlining and Blight Elimination CDC, Coppin Heights CDC, Park Heights Rennaisance, South Baltimore Gateway Partnership, and many other groups and community organizations.
Moore also announced a new Baltimore Vacants Reinvestment Initiative Support Fund, which has collected more than $1 million from philanthropists to award funds for technical assistance.
Last year, the Moore-Miller administration created Reinvest Baltimore last year to address vacant property issues in Baltimore City.
“For this to be Maryland’s decade, it has to be Baltimore’s time,” Moore said in a statement. “We know that if we want to drive investment and growth in Baltimore City, we need to address its vacant housing crisis. And the future of these properties will be written in coordination with local leaders – because those closest to the problem are closest to the solution. Together, we will build a more vibrant, prosperous, and growing Baltimore for all.”