1999 Exemplary Program Initiative
Award Recipient
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Frederick Community Action Agency
Frederick, MD
 Frederick
Community Action Agency (FCAA) of Frederick, Maryland, first opened
its doors in 1968. The agency is located on the south side of Frederick,
a neighborhood with a history of poverty and related social problems.
Although it's located in a city of about 50,000 people, FCAA serves
all of Frederick County, a traditionally rural area with a large
population of farmers.
One of 13 PATH-funded local providers in Maryland, FCAA received
$19,500 in PATH funding in FY 1999 - half of its total budget for
serving homeless people with serious mental illnesses. FCAA served
about 6,000 clients in FY 1999. Of those, about 200 were homeless
people with serious mental illnesses utilizing services funded by
the PATH program.
Marian Bland of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
nominated FCAA as an exemplary PATH program for FY 1999. "This
program is exemplary because the staff and program are committed
to assuring that persons who are homeless with serious mental illness
have access to an array of services, and because it has a history
of strong advocacy, outreach and creativity in blending funding
sources," Bland said.
FCAA offers a "mixed bag of services," according to Director
Michael Spurrier. Current programs and services provided by FCAA
include: transitional shelter and housing, case management services,
outreach and transportation services, primary health care services,
addictions treatment services, weatherization and housing rehabilitation
services, day shelter services, adult education programs, food and
nutrition programs, housing counseling and home ownership programs,
and the operation and management of rental housing. FCAA operates
on an annual budget of 1.3 million dollars, with 2% coming from
the PATH program.
Evolving Services
As the city of Frederick has evolved, so has FCAA and the services
it offers. The agency began 30 years ago as a private, non-profit
agency that provided social and recreational programs for low-income
residents of the south side of Frederick. As social problems increased
in Frederick, two of the agency's founding members worked hand-in-hand
with the mayor to address poverty in the city. In 1979, the city
of Frederick partnered with FCAA and purchased the historic railroad
station that houses the agency. As homelessness in Frederick increased
during the early 1980s, the agency responded by opening a soup kitchen,
a food bank, and a drop-in shelter. FCAA began offering primary
health care and related services in 1989, and in 1994 opened a 31-bed
transitional shelter.
Mental Health and Housing Services
In FY 1999, FCAA referred 173 homeless people with serious mental
illnesses to mental health services. Of those, 153 received mental
health services.
One person who has benefited from these mental health and housing
services is John, a Vietnam veteran who was homeless and suffering
from post-traumatic stress disorder and addictions to heroin, cocaine
and alcohol when an FCAA outreach worker convinced him to check
into a VA hospital a few years ago. John went through a rehabilitation
program for his addictions, received the proper medications and
eventually moved into FCAA's transitional shelter program. He is
currently living on his own in a Section 8 rental apartment and
working at FCAA through the Green Thumb Senior Employment Program
- one of six former consumers who are now employed at the FCAA.
 Service
Coordination
FCAA coordinates services with numerous local agencies, including
county mental health and substance abuse services, the local hospital,
other local shelters, and the county department of social services.
FCAA also attends a variety of inter-agency networking and service
coordination meetings, and actively participates in the development
and implementation of the HUD ConPlan for Community Development
Block Grant funding. FCAA is also one of 327 subcontractors receiving
funding from the federal Health Care for the Homeless Program.
Cultural Competency
FCAA offers mandatory in-service training on cultural diversity.
They credit this requirement for making a substantial difference
in the services that clients receive and the staff that delivers
them.
For more information about the Frederick Community Action
Agency, contact Michael Spurrier at (301) 694-1506, or mspurrier@cityoffrederick.com
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