The North Laurel-Savage Multi-Service Center expects to nearly double the number of clients it can serve when it moves to expanded quarters in July.

The center serves as "one-stop shopping" for low-income residents who can access a range of human service providers under one roof.

The move from Whiskey Bottom Shopping Center, located on All Saints Road, to the Shops at Patuxent Square, at 9900 Washington Blvd., will nearly double the 10-agency center's space to 3,200 square feet, said Bita Dayhoff, president of the Community Action Council of Howard County.

CAC is the center's lead agency and handles initial consultations with potential clients.

"The expansion will allow for an increase in collaboration and partnerships with other service providers," she explained, although specific agreements with new agencies have not been finalized.

Currently, the center is serving about 1,900 families and individuals, but anticipates as many as 3,500 clients will receive services at its new location, Dayhoff said.

Nearly two-thirds of the center's clients have annual incomes under $20,000, 42 percent are single and 41 percent are black, according to CAC statistics.

The center is now able to accommodate only 12 to 15 residents at a time, Dayhoff explained, so personnel are sometimes forced to reschedule clients in order to assist them. The additional space will allow the center to double the number of clients that can wait and receive services without returning, she said.

Community-wide events, such as distribution of Thanksgiving dinners, vision and hearing screenings, clothing drives and financial and nutrition workshops are just some of the services that organizers anticipate being able to offer on a larger scale in the expanded space, she said.

Space for an Early Head Start classroom has been allotted and that program will begin operation once funding becomes available, Dayhoff said. The new location also will be more accessible to walk-in clients and users of public transportation.

"The Multi-Service Center is a prime example of what nonprofits can do when they join forces," said Richard Krieg, president and CEO of the Horizon Foundation, a Columbia-based health and wellness philanthropy that provides funding assistance to the center.

"That includes satellite facilities like this one, back office coordination or deeper shared service arrangements," he said.

The center is currently the only location in Howard County where multiple agencies share a space, Dayhoff said.

"We are always studying the effectiveness of programs ... and I believe this model has proven that we excel when we bring the forces of government, private and nonprofit entities together to help the community," she said.

In addition to the Community Action Council, nine organizations offer services at the Center. They are: Domestic Violence Center; Family and Children Services; Foreign-born Information and Referral Network (FIRN); Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center; Howard Community College; Howard County's Department of Social Services; Howard County Office of Workforce Development; Legal Aid Bureau; and Maryland Women, Infants and Children.

The multi-service center is funded by the county's Community Service Partnerships Grants as well as through money awarded by the Horizon Foundation and the Columbia Foundation, Dayhoff said. Each agency has specific income guidelines to determine eligibility.

For more information, call 410-880-5917 or go to www.cac-online.org. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

---

user comments (0)