Nonprofit Launches $500K Harwood Revitalization Effort

The Greater Homewood Community Corporation announced Thursday a $500,000 effort to revitalize 15 homes in the Harwood neighborhood.

The Charles Village based nonprofit is receiving the funds through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s Neighborhood Conservation Initiative, and expect the project to take about 24 months to complete, according to a news release.

"I am personally excited—and know my neighbors are as well—that after so many years of blighted housing, these blocks will be rebuilt and we will be able to bring in new families to Harwood," Ryan Parnell, president of the Homewood Community Association, said in the news release.

The money for the project comes from $16.9 million distributed to organizations and government agencies throughout the state, which were made available through the $59 million National Mortgage Settlement and a $120 million national settlement with Lender Processing Services, according to a news release from the Attorney General’s office.

"We selected proposals that will improve the lives of thousands of Marylanders who strive for better housing opportunities," Attorney General Doug Gansler said in the news release. "While families benefit and neighborhoods improve, helping the housing market stabilize, the work being funded by these grants also provides much-needed community-based jobs."