OUR PRIORITIES

The Association of Community Services (ACS) has 56-year history of advocacy on behalf of Howard County’s nonprofit human and social service, cultural, environmental and faith-based organizations and the individuals and families that they serve. ACS advocacy includes community wide education, bringing together decision makers to resolve issues, testimony and other means of communicating ACS positions on matters before local and state legislators.

In FY 2019-2020, specific ACS advocacy priorities are:

Reduction in the shortage of affordable housing that challenges low-income, senior, disabled and other Howard County residents and contributes to housing instability and homelessness.

Funding for the development in FY 2020 of a Howard County Affordable Housing Master Plan

Adoption of the Housing Affordability Coalition proposals to: a) commit $20 million to an Affordable Housing Fund; and b) expansion of and enhancement to the Moderate Income Housing Units (MIHU) Program.

Full funding of the updated Plan to End Homelessness including expansion of Housing Stability Subsidy Program (HSSP).

Increased County, State and business leadership awareness of the need for family supporting wages for all of Howard County’s workforce.

Increasing the number of middle skill family supporting jobs.

Development of apprenticeship opportunities.

Increasing the Low-Income Tax Credit deduction.

Increased affordable childcare opportunities for families not making a supporting living wage.

Creation of a Human Resources Campus childcare center.

Enhanced transit options and reliability for low-income workers and individuals with mobility issues, such as seniors and persons with disabilities.

Full County compliance with the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure bus stop safety and access for all Howard County residents.

Implementation of the Transportation Development Plan, including new routes and schedules and new para-transit strategies.

Development of the Columbia Downtown Transit Center.

Health equity and reduction of health disparities among Howard County residents.

Residents’ access to quality, affordable health insurance coverage.

County government’s continued investment in Howard County General Hospital’s Population Health infrastructure.

Government, foundation, business and general public understanding of the necessity of operations funding support for nonprofit staffing and operations.

Shifting from single to multi-year grant awards to nonprofit organizations providing County-determined critical services.