The Kittleman Administration Leads The Way

Community Resources Campus

After taking office in late 2014, County Executive Allan H. Kittleman has focused considerable energy and resources on improving the delivery of human services in the county.

He started the process by reorganizing the Department of Community Services and Resources, paying special attention to the needs of the county’s aging population, veterans, people with disabilities, victims of violent crime, such as human trafficking, and children and families in need of additional support.

Allan then turned his attention to the nonprofit sector, and an idea that had been discussed in the county for more than 20 years but never brought to fruition.

Working with nonprofit leaders, the County Council and others, Kittleman brought the idea of having a nonprofit center to fruition by finding an appropriate location in Columbia and allocating county funds to support a 10-year lease for the center.

In April 2017, the NonProfit Collaborative of Howard County opened its door with 16 nonprofit agencies sharing a building in one central location.

Making a Difference One Person at a Time

Just months after opening, Kittleman observed the success of the NonProfit Collaborative, frequently telling the story of a woman who came to the center seeking services for her son with autism.

Staff members noted that the woman showed signs of being abused and were able to walk her across the lobby that day to meet with staff at HopeWorks to address the many difficult issues she faced.

Community Resources Campus

Kittleman determined to make a good idea even better when he decided to create the Community Resources Campus (CRC) in the same Columbia location as the NonProfit Collaborative.

Through the CRC – the first of its kind in the state — the Kittleman Administration is reinventing the way human services are delivered in Howard County.

In July, the county’s Department of Community Resources and Services, Department of Housing and Community Development, Office of Human Rights and the Community Action Council relocated to two buildings on the campus off Patuxent Woods Drive in central Columbia.

The Howard County Department of Social Services – a state agency – will relocate to two buildings on the campus in early 2019.

Real Solutions: Transportation

In addition to moving the offices, Kittleman has added RTA bus stops within the campus and called for a connectivity plan to allow residents to walk easily from one location to another within the campus.

When completed, the campus will be a central location where residents can access county and state agencies, as well as nonprofits offering human services.

Kittleman’s new model will be a one-stop shop, providing services from housing support to energy and food assistance to services for children, the elderly, people with disabilities and veterans.

The campus model also improves coordination and collaboration among human service agencies, allowing them to share conference and training rooms, office equipment and other resources.

Affordable housing in Downtown Columbia

County Executive Allan H. Kittleman made affordable housing a priority for the redevelopment of Downtown Columbia by introducing legislation in 2016 to guarantee the inclusion of at least 900 affordable housing units throughout the downtown area.

Creating the plan required collaboration among county government, non-profit organizations and the private sector, developing a public-private partnership among the Howard County Housing Commission, the Columbia Downtown Housing Corporation (CDHC), The Howard Hughes Corporation and the Howard County Executive’s Office.

The plan incorporates a full spectrum of housing options, with affordable units for low and middle income families. It will make full use of federal, state and local resources – such as the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program (LIHTC), the largest affordable housing finance program in the country.

Kittleman said providing a full spectrum of housing options is in keeping with Columbia’s goal of diversity and inclusion, will provide housing for a diverse labor force in the immediate vicinity of job opportunities and supports economic development by providing workforce housing.

Fighting the Opioids Crisis

Like other communities across the nation, Howard County has been impacted by the devastating opioids crisis.

The Kittleman Administration has responded by increasing services and diversifying the approach to fighting the crisis, from equipping county buildings with the life-saving drug naloxone, to adding positions in the police and health departments, to launching daily walk-in screening and referral services in the county.

Grassroots Partnership

In February, Kittleman announced a new partnership between the Howard County Health Department and the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center to provide substance use screenings and referrals to treatment at the crisis center seven days a week.

Under the new agreement, the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center now provides in-person screenings to adults, youth and families dealing with substance misuse.

Counselors screen clients using “Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment” (SBIRT), an evidence-based method that identifies individuals at risk, links them to treatment services and assists in removing barriers to treatment and recovery.

In addition to walk-in crisis assistance, Kittleman has:

• Created the Howard County Opioid Crisis Community Council to assist with reviewing current efforts and identifying new opportunities to address opioid misuse;
• Partnered with the Aetna Foundation in a unique partnership to equip AED boxes in county buildings with life-saving naloxone kits and train county employees in the use of the drug in an overdose situation;
• Worked with the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS) to create a “leave-behind” program to distribute naloxone kits to residents who have experienced an overdose;
• Directed HCDFRS to erect signs at county fire stations reporting on overdoses in the county to increase awareness of the crisis with the public;


Launched a county website, HoCoOpioidHelp.com, with information about services and resources available in the county;

• Added new positions to focus on battling the crisis, including an Opioids Coordinator at the county’s Police Department and Opioids Manager at the Health Department.
• Howard County, like other jurisdictions, is pursuing litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors to seek reimbursement for the considerable costs incurred by the county to fight the opioids crisis.

Leola Dorsey Day Resource Center

Last Fall, the county opened the new Leola Dorsey Day Resource Center in Jessup, serving the county’s most vulnerable residents.

The new center offers clients many services to help them move ahead with their lives, such as meals, clothing, medical care, mental health and substance misuse assessments, personal hygiene and laundry facilities, computer access, skills training, support in enrolling for needed benefits, assistance with obtaining necessary documents, and connections to various human services programs.

This unique, three-story facility also incorporates 35 efficiency apartments on the second and third floors to fill a gap in the county’s housing stock for chronically homeless people.

Kittleman makes more tax relief available to more seniors.

Shortly after Allan H. Kittleman’s election as County Executive, the county completed a comprehensive master plan focused on supporting older adults.

The plan, “Creating an Age-Friendly Community,” provides a roadmap for county services over next 20 years to help the county’s seniors age in place.

In 2010, 10 percent of residents were 65 or older. By 2025, this will increase to 18 percent and by 2035, nearly 22 percent.

The percentage increase is even more dramatic for older seniors – Howard County’s 85 and over population will increase by 253 percent by 2035, rising to 23,334 people.

The county’s master plan includes many projects, initiatives and approaches to reduce the barriers faced by our aging population, helping older residents stay engaged and active, and reducing the impact of chronic conditions.

Initiatives undertaken by the Kittleman Administration to date include:

• Expanded the Senior Tax Credit by reducing eligibility from age 70 to 65, expanding the potential number of county property owners who could qualify based on age from 26,000 to more than 40,000.
• Created the Aging-in-Place Tax Credit, providing a 20 percent tax credit on up to $500,000 of assessed property value. This credit can be granted for up to five years.
• Funded increased hours of operation at the county’s 50+ centers in the FY 19 operating budget.
• Opened a new 50+ center in Elkridge in March 2018 with expanded services, hours and new fitness facility.
• Accelerated funding in the FY 2019 capital budget to move up construction of a replacement 50+ center for East Columbia from 2021 to 2020.
• Created the Community Resources Campus making it easier to access services from county, state and nonprofit providers in one location. 
• Expanded the Loan Closet hours of operation from 6 to 20 hours per week, including evening and weekend hours. Also, Allan expanded the type of equipment accepted to include electric wheelchairs, scooters, stair glides and ramps.
• Reworking public transportation system and bus routes to improve mobility for those without cars or who do not drive and allowing seniors and people with disabilities to ride RTA buses for free starting in July 2018.
• Created Reinvest*Renovate*Restore program to provide low-interest loans to help homeowners make necessary repairs.