Housing Project almost ready to host young people from Baltimore program
OCEAN CITY, Md – Friday, Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman paid a visit to the site of an ambitious housing project in Ocean City.
The former Phillips Crab House on 21st street has been undergoing renovations, being converted from a restaurant space into a 14 unit apartment building.
Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman said it’s exactly the type of project the state needs: “To build a strong economy, to have the workforce we need in Maryland, to encourage families to move to Maryland and stay here, we need housing.”
The building will provide housing to seasonal workers in Ocean City, hoping to help address what has become a significant need in the local economy.
The DevelopMore program, which brings young men from Baltimore to Ocean City for work experience will be getting a big boost. The former crab house is being converted into 3 stories of living space, some of which will be utilized by the Baltimore-based program.
Brandon Julot, Executive Director of DevelopMore, said that the space will be used for more than just living: “We’ll be utilizing this space for our enrichment program which will be teaching them life skills. Everything they won’t learn inside the classroom, from financial literacy to mental health and organization.”
Jaiden Coleman, who has spent the past two summers working in the resort town as part of the DevelopMore program, will be serving in an RA capacity this summer. He was excited about the chance to live in the brand new facility: “Honestly this is a huge upgrade. Past summers we had decent dorm but this is like, next level, 5 stars.”
Coleman felt the program had helped him grown in his personal life, and emphasized the importance of the opportunities it can provide, saying, “In baltimore, a lot of young black kids don’t really have the opportunity to get out. So this program really helps the young black men of Baltimore.”
Coleman also thought that staying in a brand new living space might help the program expand.
The scheduled move-in date for the dozens of participants in the DevelopMore program is June 15th.
