Maryland Adds $500,000 to Safer Stronger Together
The state is extending a cross-agency youth safety initiative in Hagerstown, Salisbury and East Baltimore after a two-year pilot.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Child Care
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Maryland is investing an additional $500,000 in Safer Stronger Together, a community safety initiative run across three communities following a two-year pilot. The program brings state agencies and community partners together to coordinate services for families.
Why it matters
The initiative links Human Services, Public Safety and Correctional Services, and Juvenile Services to coordinate support for young people and families. The new funding will sustain the program in Hagerstown, Salisbury and East Baltimore as it continues beyond the pilot stage.
Hagerstown served 262 young people, with 58 connected to community mentors and 66 completing coursework toward an Amazon Web Services cloud practitioner certification. In Salisbury, 85% of after-school participants kept a GPA above 2.75, while the reported outcomes for Baltimore include more than 170 youth conflicts mediated to prevent violence.
The players
Safer Stronger Together
A cross-agency Maryland initiative that brings state agencies and community partners together to coordinate youth and family services in targeted communities.
Maryland Department of Human Services
The state agency that participates in the Safer Stronger Together initiative alongside public safety and juvenile services agencies.
The details
Safer Stronger Together uses family navigators to coordinate services and local community action boards to direct public funding toward neighborhood safety priorities. Across the three sites, the program has provided workforce development resources, extended after-school programs and mediation services for young people.
Timeline
The initiative completed a two-year pilot in three communities before the new funding was announced.
The additional $500,000 investment was announced on November 3, 2026.
Child Care
The additional funding carries the Safer Stronger Together pilot forward in the same three communities where it was first tested. Its family navigator model connects young people and families to coordinated state and community services.
Families in Hagerstown, Salisbury and East Baltimore may see the program continue after its pilot ends. Young people in these communities can be connected to mentors, workforce resources, after-school programs and conflict mediation through the initiative.
The takeaway
Coordinated services that bring schools, public safety and family support together can reach young people at several points at once. Families in participating communities can ask local providers whether these coordinated supports are available to them.
Further reading
Explore more Child Care coverage to see how states are supporting young people and families.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Salisbury Daily Times.
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