Multiservice Center Celebrates Anniversary

By Janene Holzberg

To celebrate a realized goal of becoming an integral part of the community they serve, local nonprofit organizations marked their one-year anniversary at the North Laurel-Savage Multiservice Center by signing a formal partnership agreement with the county public school system on Oct. 2.
Touted as one-stop shopping for county residents in need of a variety of services, the center has had more than 2,500 visitors during the past fiscal year, nearly 700 of which were new clients who had never had contact with any of the center's partners. All told, agencies collectively fielded nearly 4,000 requests for services in the period ending June 30.

Healthy Howard Access
James Smith, president of the Community Action Council, told the gathering that the most important recent news at the center was its designation as a pilot site in the Healthy Howard Access Plan, the county's new initiative to provide access to health care for uninsured county residents. "Real people with real needs have signed up," he said. "All the hard work we've been putting into this is helping hard-working people to connect the dots."
Smith also thanked the center's supporters, saying, "Without our funders, we couldn't do the work we do."
Richard Krieg, president and CEO of the Columbia-based Horizon Foundation - which has awarded the center $590,000 in grant money from Family and Children's Services (FCS) of Central Maryland since the location's inception five years ago - said he was "amazed at the statistics" regarding visits and phone calls, recalling that "it was a tough haul in the early years."
Krieg credited Susan Rosenbaum, county director of the department of citizen services, for being "the focus, energy and smarts behind this facility."
"This center is more important than ever in these difficult economic times," said Rosenbaum. "We think we'll be looking at it as a possible model to replicate in other parts of the county."

A Telling Tale
Other agencies joined FCS in 2005 and then again in 2006, according to Patricia Thompson, district director of the Howard County office, who said the center became more accessible to community residents during that period.
After a rededication ceremony was held with all providers in July 2007, community residents began to seek help at the center in increasing numbers, said Quinton Askew, program manager, who recounted a moving story that unfolded in summer 2007.
"Ron, who had an advanced case of diabetes but no health insurance, walked on painful, wound-covered feet for 45 minutes to reach the center and get much-needed help," Askew told the crowd, which included County Executive Ken Ulman and County Superintendent of Schools Sydney Cousin, along with several members of the County Council and the Board of Education.
Speaking for the Columbia Foundation, which has provided $30,000 in funds to the center, President Beverley Francis said she was "proud and excited" to witness how organizers had turned a dream into a reality.

Partnering Pays
Andrea Ingram, executive director of Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, commented on the ability of the center's service providers to assist people who were previously underserved.
"We are thrilled to have a presence in another part of the county and bring our services to more people in great need," said Ingram. "It is particularly rewarding to be part of this very special project of creative and committed partners."
Vidia Dhanraj, the center's community outreach coordinator, told the group that she has concentrated her efforts on being involved with the county's public schools because "that's where needs came to light.
"The school system has been a key partner for a long time and we are thrilled to take it to the next level" by signing an agreement, Dhanraj said.
The multiservice center is located in the Whiskey Bottom Shopping Center on All Saints Road in Laurel. The participating agencies are Community Action Council, Howard County Department of Social Services, Domestic Violence Center, Family and Children Services, FIRN, Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, Legal Aid and Howard County Workforce Development. For more information, call 410-880-5917.