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State-funded Safer, Stronger Together urges council to reinstate ENVY coordinator, cites $600,000 in local youth grants

Mayor and City Council of Hagerstown · April 14, 2026
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Summary

Safer, Stronger Together (SST) staff told council Hagerstown was SST’s first pilot site, with the local Community Action Board selecting five grantees and investing roughly $600,000 in youth wraparound services. SST urged the city to fund an ENVY coordinator and consider a community advisory/grantmaking role.

Representatives of a state multi‑agency initiative told the council that Hagerstown was the program’s first pilot site and that the infrastructure built there could be used to relaunch ENVY, the city’s youth violence‑prevention effort.

Sema Gajwani, executive director of Safer, Stronger Together (SST), and Harry Spites (Department of Human Services regional director for the initiative) described four core strategies used in Hagerstown: creating a community action board (CAB) made up of local residents, directing grant funds to grassroots youth providers chosen by the CAB, employing a family navigator to help multi‑system families access services, and convening monthly implementation teams of state agency leadership.

SST said the Hagerstown CAB invested nearly $600,000 in five grantees that provide wraparound services, mentoring and workforce training; they cited outcomes such as improved school engagement and individual success stories. SST staff recommended the council fund a dedicated ENVY coordinator and consider giving the program grant‑making authority and an advisory board for community oversight. SST offered technical assistance and a blueprint the city could adopt.

Several council members and the police chief voiced support for a dedicated city position to coordinate community partners, schools and funders. Staff noted a draft job description exists and that the city’s FY27 priorities include funding to restart ENVY in a more durable form.

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