BALTIMORE — It was an abandoned department store. Now it’s a community hub.
The Village at Mondawmin is open. And WMAR-2 News went to one of the first events there, a free resource fair.
“I live in the neighborhood so I decided to come out and check it out,” says Mary Donelson.
Donelson says she used to shop at the Target store that was here. Now, she’s shopping for health and wellness information, from community resources like the City Department of Health and the University of Maryland School of Nursing.
“Oh my God, I talked to several people today,” Donelson says. “I got my blood pressure checked. I’m getting ready to go for a massage.”
CareFirst is one of several businesses that are going to open here. The goal is to bring free and low-cost resources right here to West Baltimore to improve the quality of life for the people in this neighborhood.
“Amazing things that are actually coming here,” says Shar Ferrell with CareFirst. “They’ll be healthy eating. There’s gonna be a daycare center. [The] University of Maryland will be here. So, there will be a lot of things that the community will be able to access.”
CareFirst’s community hub has been open 30 days and it’s already been busy. Zumba, Baby and Me yoga, cooking, and CPR classes are among the offerings. And it’s all free for anyone, regardless of your insurance.
“Regardless of where this community has been and what has been said before, you cannot tell by the way people are participating now,” Ferrell says. “They are actively engaged in all the things that we have. We have some regulars, even after a month of being open. And people are so ecstatic. But they’re also looking to the future.”
Workforce development is also part of the plan for the Village at Mondawmin. And for their part, Carefirst has customer service and health navigator jobs here. They’re targeting people who live in the zip codes surrounding the mall: 21215, 21216, and 21217.
