A cross-a​gency, place-based initiative to invest in young people, strengthen families, empower communities, and improve public safety.

The Department of Human Services (DHS), Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), and Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) have identified over 2,000 families across Maryland who touch two or more of their systems and communities with high numbers of such families.

Historically, multi-system involved families experience the worst outcomes because public systems don’t work together collaboratively or intentionally on their behalf. ​The burdens placed on families to navigate these systems are a barrier to their success. Furthermore, many of the same families are concentrated in communities that experience high rates of violent crime, poverty, and mortality.

The Safer Stronger Together initiative believes that community safety is about more than the absence of crime. It is also about the presence of opportunities for community members and shared trust and true partnership between government and community. Research shows that there is a relationship between strong community ties, improved trust in government, and reduced crime.

Safer Stronger Together is DHS, DPSCS, and DJS’s effort to invest in young people, strengthen families, empower communities, and improve public safety by:

• Improving collaboration among multi-agency staff serving shared families.
• Creating space for community members to direct resources for community-driven solutions to improve safety and wellness.
• Concentrating services, supports,​ and opportunities on streets heavily impacted by government systems and crime.
  

Safer Stronger Together has two components: 

1. agency staff working together with a Family Navigator to serve shared families, and 
2. local community action boards devising ways to use public funds to address public safety issues in their neighborhoods
   

Over the next few years, Safer Stronger Together will work with 10 communities throughout the state to bring staff together in true partnership with community members heavily impacted by government involvement and crime in their neighborhoods to help them become safer and stronger together.