Counseling Program

An article in yesterday's Anne Arundel edition of The Sun about the Anne Arundel County Council vote on the Crofton counseling program was incorrect. The vote was 3-4, with Thomas W. Redmond Sr. also voting against the bill, which was defeated.The Sun regrets the errors.The County Council narrowly defeated last night a bill that would have extended the period for gathering signatures on petitions in support of the Crofton counseling program, effectively ending the 22-year-old program at the end of this month.

NEW ORLEANS -- Dispersed across the nation, survivors of Hurricane Katrina are suffering such severe psychological distress that the federal government has launched the broadest - and probably the most costly - counseling program in the nation's history. An estimated 500,000 people need some form of mental health service, which could include treatment for post-traumatic stress, substance abuse counseling, anti-anxiety medication and art therapy for children too young to talk out their grief.

For Robert J. Rose, a single father of three living in subsidized housing in Annapolis, buying a home was a remote possibility two years ago. At best it was a five-year goal.Then a guidance counselor at his children's elementary school told Rose about a homeownership counseling program run by Arundel Community Development Services Inc. (ACDS). Rose attended a seminar in September 1995, and after his first individual sessions with a counselor his outlook changed."Once I got in there and learned of the programs that exist and what I qualified for, my five-year goal became a six-month goal," said Rose, who was living in Bywater-Mutual Homes with his children at the time.

2 sought in string of convenience store robberies since May Maryland State Police are searching for two men they say are responsible for smash-and-grab robberies at several Carroll County convenience stores. Every week since the end of last month, convenience stores throughout the county have been burglarized after closing, between 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m., authorities said. Two men have been caught on surveillance cameras, but police said hooded sweat shirts pulled over their heads made it impossible to identify them.

When Jada Busch started out at Columbia's Wilde Lake High School, she fought her way through school -- not for good grades, but for a bad reputation.The 18-year-old -- now a Wilde Lake senior -- openly calls herself "the bully" of her middle school. She remembers fights in the bathroom, the gym and the hallway. She remembers how sore her body was after those fights.But she also remembers her hard-earned title for toughness."I was popular. I had that 'name,' " Busch said as she sat yesterday in the guidance office of Wilde Lake High -- where a fight between girls preceded the death of a teacher last week and focused attention on the problem of violence, particularly among girls, in Howard County and other suburban schools.

After more than a year, Carroll County's only counseling program for men who batter their wives or girlfriends is set to start anew this fall.The program, offered through Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland, ended in July 1994 when the Carroll office lost part of its state funding.Since then, men who were ordered by a Carroll judge to attend a therapy program or those who sought counseling on their own had to travel to a program in Lochearn run by the Family and Children's Services office in Baltimore County.

In the latest effort to help low-income tenants find housing in middle-class neighborhoods, Baltimore has received a $2.1 million federal grant for a five-year regional counseling program, officials said.The program, which is to include tenants in the city and suburban counties, is designed to help families with subsidized rental certificates "choose neighborhoods that offer the best housing, education and employment opportunities for them," according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development letter announcing the award.

With the help of a $9,700 United Way grant, St. John's Lane Elementary School in Ellicott City has expanded a family counseling program beyond low-income families to any family at the school in need of counseling services.The grant, which covers the 1995-1996 school year, also has allowed the school to offer its homework club and mentoring program to more than just low-income students.Starting tomorrow, the school will begin a six-session group workshop for parents and children that focuses on improving family relations.

2 sought in string of convenience store robberies since May Maryland State Police are searching for two men they say are responsible for smash-and-grab robberies at several Carroll County convenience stores. Every week since the end of last month, convenience stores throughout the county have been burglarized after closing, between 11:30 p.m. and 1 a.m., authorities said. Two men have been caught on surveillance cameras, but police said hooded sweat shirts pulled over their heads made it impossible to identify them.

After more than a year, Carroll County's only counseling program for men who batter their wives or girlfriends is set to start anew this fall.The program, offered through Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland, ended July 1994 when the Carroll office lost part of its state funding.Since then, men who were ordered by a Carroll judge to attend a therapy program or those who sought counseling on their own had to travel to a program in Lochearn run by the Family and Children's Services office in Baltimore County.

It is hard to say which happened first in the condominium neighborhoods off Pioneer Drive -- the plunge in property values or the emergence of drug trafficking and crime that now stigmatizes the community.But there is no question that owners who bought into the Severn community, built in the 1960s and 1970s for affordable homeownership, have watched the value of their investments decline over the past decade.Many have sold out to investors who paid deflated prices, then turned two-story, brick-front townhouses into rental units.

It is hard to say which happened first in the condominium neighborhoods off Pioneer Drive -- the plunge in property values or the emergence of drug trafficking and crime that now stigmatizes the community.But there is no question that owners who bought into the Severn community, built in the 1960s and 1970s for affordable homeownership, have watched the value of their investments decline over the past decade.Many have sold out to investors who paid deflated prices, then turned two-story, brick-front townhouses into rental units.

For Robert J. Rose, a single father of three living in subsidized housing in Annapolis, buying a home was a remote possibility two years ago. At best it was a five-year goal.Then a guidance counselor at his children's elementary school told Rose about a homeownership counseling program run by Arundel Community Development Services Inc. (ACDS). Rose attended a seminar in September 1995, and after his first individual sessions with a counselor his outlook changed."Once I got in there and learned of the programs that exist and what I qualified for, my five-year goal became a six-month goal," said Rose, who was living in Bywater-Mutual Homes with his children at the time.

When Jada Busch started out at Columbia's Wilde Lake High School, she fought her way through school -- not for good grades, but for a bad reputation.The 18-year-old -- now a Wilde Lake senior -- openly calls herself "the bully" of her middle school. She remembers fights in the bathroom, the gym and the hallway. She remembers how sore her body was after those fights.But she also remembers her hard-earned title for toughness."I was popular. I had that 'name,' " Busch said as she sat yesterday in the guidance office of Wilde Lake High -- where a fight between girls preceded the death of a teacher last week and focused attention on the problem of violence, particularly among girls, in Howard County and other suburban schools.

In the latest effort to help low-income tenants find housing in middle-class neighborhoods, Baltimore has received a $2.1 million federal grant for a five-year regional counseling program, officials said.The program, which is to include tenants in the city and suburban counties, is designed to help families with subsidized rental certificates "choose neighborhoods that offer the best housing, education and employment opportunities for them," according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development letter announcing the award.

It would seem like an ideal public health program for the frugal 1990s -- free mental health counseling to Maryland's poor by professionals donating their time. But a nonprofit program that does just that is being forcedeling Project runs on $79,000 a year for administrative expenses. The decision by the two counties to withhold a combined $31,500 has startled the program's supporters, who believe the free counseling prevents serious mental health problems that ultimately can prove more costly to a community.

Low- and moderate-income Howard County residents seeking more affordable housing now have a new financial assistance service offering counseling and arranging loans to help them purchase their own homes.The Affordable Housing Alliance Inc., a nonprofit Columbia-based organization, will hold its official grand opening Thursday. The organization, which incorporated a year ago, works with public and private agencies throughout the country to offer more affordable housing."We think it is important for people to own their own homes," said alliance Chairman William Ross Sr., a resident of Columbia's Wilde Lake village and founder of the all-volunteer group, which opened in March.

It is hard to say which happened first in the condominium neighborhoods off Pioneer Drive -- the plunge in property values or the emergence of drug trafficking and crime that now stigmatizes the community.But there is no question that owners who bought into the Severn community, built in the 1960s and 1970s for affordable homeownership, have watched the value of their investments decline over the past decade.Many have sold out to investors who paid deflated prices, then turned two-story, brick-front townhouses into rental units.

ANNE ARUNDEL'S popularity among Baltimore and Washington area homebuyers has a downside. Many of the county's modestly paid residents, particularly young families, find themselves priced out of the market.It's not that those families -- ranging from entry-level police officers and firefighters to teachers and office workers -- cannot necessarily afford the monthly payments. The difficulty often is coming up with the down payment, the substantial closing costs and other settlement expenses.

With the help of a $9,700 United Way grant, St. John's Lane Elementary School in Ellicott City has expanded a family counseling program beyond low-income families to any family at the school in need of counseling services.The grant, which covers the 1995-1996 school year, also has allowed the school to offer its homework club and mentoring program to more than just low-income students.Starting tomorrow, the school will begin a six-session group workshop for parents and children that focuses on improving family relations.