Linking persons in need to services and resources. “We are here to serve, and not to be served.” “We must reduce the level of trauma in Sandtown caused by substance use and mental health concerns.”
Dr. Albert Stokes
Improve and increase economic development in Sandtown. We intend to grow and incubate small businesses so that they can employ Sandtown residents in “Living Wage jobs”.
Partnering, collaborating and leveraging all resources to improve what is great in Sandtown
Since 2015, Clergy United for the Transformation of Sandtown (CUTS), a 501 (c) (3) CDC (Community Development Corp) non-profit organization, has been at the forefront of stabilizing and improving the life of Sandtown residents. CUTS is comprised of twelve faith-based institutions located on the West Side of Baltimore. They have volunteered their time and efforts to improve the Sandtown community through community development initiatives. Each institution has supported the residents of Sandtown by establishing group homes for homeless persons, providing linkage to health care projects, emergency food assistance programs, and partnerships to renovate housing. African American churches have long played a pivotal role in the economic development of Baltimore. CUTS as an organization has understood that the push by Dr. Martin Luther King, A. Phillip Randolph, and other leaders was about economic development. CUTS leadership remembers that “Jobs” was at the forefront of the March on Washington and living wage jobs remain the most critical need in Baltimore city.
Our vision entails a time when we will no longer be a community of nutritional deserts and liquor stores on every corner. Like any community, our vision has trees and playgrounds, markets with fruits and vegetables, and an opportunity for residents to work where they live.
We believe in the holistic approach grounded in principles of empowerment, human rights, inclusion, social justice, self-determination, and collective action (Kenny, 2007). Community development considers community members to be experts in their lives and communities and values community knowledge and wisdom.