Cohen: Children and Youth Funding expected to resume this week

Money for the Children and Youth Fund is expected to be freed up as soon as Tuesday. City Councilman Zeke Cohen, who is Chairman of the Baltimore City Council's Education and Youth committee, says the organization that oversees the fund has advised him that the process to begin dispersing a new round of money is expected to begin early this week. Some $25 million in funding to serve children and youth has been plagued by delays. The Children and Youth Fund was approved by voters in 2016 to be paid out of the property tax but apparently only one year of funding has been given to service providers. A delay in funding reportedly came after an audit was conducted to insure that there was no connection to the Catherine Pugh case and the purchase and distribution of the former Baltimore mayor’s Healthy Holly books. Pugh faces sentencing next month after pleading guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and tax evasion.