Mayor's office outlines 'Uplift Annapolis' community outreach and violence-prevention programs

The mayor's office on Tuesday presented an overview of Uplift Annapolis, the umbrella name for several community outreach and public-safety–oriented programs that the office said are intended to "uplift residents who have not always had a voice or opportunity to participate," Chief of Staff Kate Pettit said.

The presentation described three primary program strands: No Harm (community violence prevention), NAMM (a substance-abuse prevention program focused on African American residents), and Annapolis United (a citywide partnership with the fire department, police, Office of Emergency Management and community partners). Datola "Tola" Ajayi, the mayor's African American liaison specialist, said many initiatives target youth in neighborhoods the city identified as higher-need, including Robinwood.

Why it matters: City staff said these interventions are meant to reduce exposure to violence, connect at-risk youth with education and career pathways, and link residents to substance-use resources. Officials told the committee they are still building the data systems needed to measure individual outcomes and asked the committee to consider budget support for case-management software and program staffing.

Officials and partners described a set of active and upcoming efforts. The Options program — described as targeting at-risk teens with education, job-skills and mentoring opportunities — was developed after earlier community violence prevention work and program evaluations. Ajayi explained the Options acronym as "opportunities, possibilities, technology, innovation, organization, networking." Programs already active or scheduled to start include an Annapolis School outreach cluster, a community pop-up resource tour that staff said reached more than 1,500 residents in 2024, a youth leadership cohort, a Naptown CEO Academy makerspace and a career/college exploration tour of local colleges and businesses.

On substance-abuse outreach, the mayor's office said NAMM provides on-site resource days at the Robinwood Resource Center, distributes Narcan and fentanyl- and xylazine-test strips, and offers assistance completing applications for services. Officials said the outreach coordinator Tianna Hayes fields strong demand for test strips and harm-reduction materials and coordinates with the county and the Office of Emergency Management's opioid-intervention work.

Funding and tracking: The presenters said they are building a participant tracking database (currently a spreadsheet) and are evaluating case-management software options; they asked the committee to consider those needs during the upcoming budget cycle. Committee members pressed for regular program reports; the mayor's office said it will return with periodic updates and more detailed data in advance of the budget.

Several aldermen asked about program evaluation and police collaboration. Ajayi said the Options program currently tracks attendance at trips and activities and conducts follow-up surveys; she said the administration is working toward a diversion partnership with the police department for youth already involved with the justice system but that some case-level follow-up requires confidentiality agreements.

Officials briefed the committee on a small neighborhood leadership micro-grant (described as $500 awards) intended to support community beautification and morale-building events, and on a proposed mural for the Robinwood court that would require resurfacing the court and securing arts or county funding. The city indicated it would have estimated costs by February and planned to apply to city arts funding (AIPPC) and county sources.

Ending: The mayor's office asked the committee to consider additional budget support for a full-time outreach position and for software to track individual-level outcomes; the committee asked that staff return with progress reports and budget detail before the spring budget submission.