Stronger Neighborhoods

Baltimore’s diverse and beautiful neighborhoods are the foundation on which we will build a stronger City. We will invest in our neighborhoods to keep them vibrant, safe, and productive.

Our Results:

Creating Value from Vacant Housing. To reduce the number of vacant properties in the City, the Mayor announced the “Vacants to Value” initiative. The initiative will create new incentives for individuals and families to invest in strong neighborhoods, and encourage vacant property owners to revitalize or sell the properties they own. Owners of vacant properties will have to sell or remodel or face stiff code violations.

Youth B’More. The Mayor launched this program to help students and families find the resources they need to be successful during the summer and school year.

Supporting Vulnerable Young People. The City partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Maryland Mentoring Partnership to create the B’Mentors initiative. This initiative is looking to connect vulnerable young people with adults who can be a positive influence in their lives.

Bringing Communities Together. In November, the Mayor and city faith leaders announced the start of the Awaken initiative. Awaken encourages church members to do volunteer work in their own communities.

Healthy Changes to Communities. The City unveiled the Virtual Supermaket, which allows residents to order fresh groceries online at their local library. Groceries are then delivered to consumers at the library.

The Mayor and Health department announced a new initiative to reduce infant mortality, “B’More for Healthy Babies”. The initiative’s first focus was on safe sleeping practices, and featured radio, television and print advertisement.

Our Future:

Property Tax Relief. Mayor Rawlings-Blake is offering real tax relief – not “pie in the sky” talk – that will target future property tax reductions to Baltimore City homeowners using revenue generated from the City's future slots location.  By targeting reductions to City homeowners first, future reductions will have a bigger impact, encourage new homeownership and reduce the property tax rate for Baltimore's families.  Mayor Rawlings-Blake will continue to support and expand the use of property tax credits for newly-constructed and rehabilitated houses for homeowners. Read more about the Mayor's plan here.

Reducing Vacant Housing - Mayor Rawlings-Blake will implement “Vacants to Value”, a new plan to reduce vacants by streamlining the sale of vacant city property.  The plan calls for strengthened code enforcement efforts in transitional blocks and emerging neighborhoods, providing new incentives for homebuyers who invest in vacant homes such as a new $5,000 forgivable loan program for City Police, Firefighters, and Teachers that purchase or rehabilitate vacant homes.

Neighborhoods First Approach. City government isn’t the only way to change Baltimore. Mayor Rawlings-Blake will continue to help citizens make their own neighborhoods stronger and better. Urban farming, for example, is one way residents are changing their own neighborhoods, in this instance into an economic engine supplying local restaurants and grocery stores with produce. City government will find new ways to assist our valued nonprofits that focus on reviving our cherished neighborhoods.  These improvements will build on top of the tough and smart anti-crime policies that make our neighborhoods safer.