Diakonia awarded $800,000 Community Development Block Grant

OCEAN CITY, Md. – Ocean City non-profit Diakonia has been awarded a $800,000 Community Development Block Grant, bringing them one step closer to their phase one goal for the Supportive Living Campus Capital Campaign.

Ken Argot is the executive director for Diakonia Inc. and explained the initial reaction when the organization found out they were going to receive the grant.

“When we got the news we were very excited.” Said Argot. “This goes a long way considering that we have a $2 million match in regard to a shelter and transitional housing grant.”

The planned supportive living campus hopes to bring all of Diakonia’s services to one place, making it a one-stop shop for food assistance, resources for veterans, emergency housing, and a variety of other services for un-housed individuals.

The block grant comes from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, with Secretary Jake Day saying the funding program “helps local governments bring important projects to fruition to address the everyday needs that shape the lives of their residents.”

Ken Argot said that financial support from the state makes the fundraising a truly collaborative effort.

“What’s great is to see not only the local support, but the state support, and even the federal support, all of them working hand-in-hand to make this happen.” Said Argot.

Diakonia announced that following DHCD’s grant, they have raised 81% of their goal of $7.9 million, with hopes to complete fundraising in the coming weeks.

For more information on Diakonia, or the upcoming fundraising event at Seacrets, visit their website.