Intersection of Change

The goals of Martha's Place are:
• To provide a safe drug-free residential environment for women
• To assist women in obtaining the necessary community resources to build upon
• To assist women in employment skill in order to maintain gainful employment
• To support women as they transition from substance abuse to independent drug-free living

The goals of Jubilee Arts are:
• 400 participants will attain a new art skill or technique in visual arts, ceramics, or dance as evidenced through arts exhibits and performances.
• 50% of enrolled participants will complete at least one Jubilee Arts class.
• 50 participants will participate in the creation or design of a Jubilee Arts sponsored transformative public art/beautification project.
• 50 participants will have a better understanding of and connection to African American history in Baltimore after participating in a closing program, exhibition, or performance.
• 20 youth will learn business basics as they participate in the Jubilee Arts entrepreneurship program Youth in Business.

The goals of Strength to Love II Farm are:
• To expand training and hiring of ex-offenders
• To operate a successful (fully operational) urban farm
• To provide healthy food to local residents and supply produce needs of institutions, universities, restaurants, and Baltimoreans through farmers markets.
• To address the "food desert" crisis in west Baltimore by being a source of healthy foods
• To educate community residents of the benefits of healthy eating

Martha's Place - Martha's Place provides permanent housing and recovery services that include monthly individual counseling, random drug testing, employment assistance, money management training, and connection to additional resources. Clients are also prepared for permanent housing through program requirements of weekly attendance at NA/AA meetings, maintained employment or active volunteer work, selecting a sponsor, paying a rent contribution, and housing counseling. Clients are provided with annual leases which can be renewed as many years as needed.

Jubilee Arts - Jubilee Arts currently offers 16 classes weekly in ceramics, visual arts, dance, and art business. Classes are offered in four sessions each eight weeks and each session class culminates with a closing program or exhibit. Jubilee Arts expanded its older youth programming in 2015 to include Art@Work a summer employment program and Youth in Business (YiB) a youth entrepreneurial/leadership program that operates during the school year and sells their products during its sales season during the summer months of June-August.

Strength to Love II Urban Farm –
• Produces local healthy food that includes growing, washing, packaging, delivery, and customer acquisition
• Farm sells its produce via a mobile market. S2L2's 2017 customers included: Staff 11, Waverly Farmers Market, Fresh at the Avenue Market, Goucher College, Johns Hopkins University, Kaiser Permanente at Halethorpe, and Gertrude's at the Baltimore Museum of Art
• Provides employment to returning citizens as farm manager and farm workers

IOC is governed by a 15 member board of which 50% live in the community served by the organization. The directors' experiences include a broad range of skills and also extensively utilize volunteers in programmatic and administrative capacities.

IOC is governed by a volunteer board that includes community development professionals, alumni of Martha's Place, a financial planner, two ministers, arts professionals, lawyers, marketing and business consultants , and a corporate representative. The board, Executive Director Todd Marcus, and the program directors work closely in governing and decision making which addresses the organization's overall growth, management, fundraising, and operation. Todd Marcus has been a part of managing and supervising the organization since its founding in 1996.

IOC has 22 years of experience in successfully implementing community-based programs to benefit residents to revitalize the community.

IOC has operated its programs under a combined budget of approximately $777,700. Organizational expenses and incomes have been on budget for the past year and the 2016 financial report is available upon request. IOC maintains good standing with the State of Maryland and the federal government and a financial review are completed annually by an independent accounting firm. IOC's on-going internal financial reviews have resulted in all grant funds being expended on time.

IOC utilizes contracted CPA firms to ensure all grant funds are expended appropriately. L&H Business Consultants manage the agencies on-going financial reports and payroll services and worker's compensation and the annual external audits are completed by Scholtes and Associates. The monthly profit and loss statements produced by L&H are reviewed and monitored by IOC's fiscal management team of the Executive Director and the directors of Jubilee Arts, Martha's Place and S2L2 and are overseen by the IOC Board of Directors. The organization operates on a 12/31 fiscal year end.

No audited findings or concerns have been presented by the organization's audits in the last 24 months.

• In its 22 years of operation, IOC has accomplished significant neighborhood revitalization in the 1900 and 2000 blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue through the full renovation of six previously vacant and dilapidated buildings, transformation of 18 vacant lots into community green spaces and meditative gardens, the creation of over two dozen neighborhood murals, and turned 96,000 sq./ft. of vacant lots into an urban farm.

• Jubilee Arts Art@Work artist apprenticeship summer program has employed 124 youth to create 20 highly visible murals and mosaics during the summer of 2015, 2016, and 2017

• Jubilee Arts has increased its enrollment steadily since 2014 and currently serves 2,500 residents annual through its scheduled classes, festivals, art shows, film festivals, and public art projects

• While national recovery rates from drug addiction are commonly listed at a 30% success rate Martha's Place long-term programming has operated since 2005 with a 75% success rate
• Strength to Love II has employed 50 returning citizens to operate the urban farm since 2015