Local

AIRS celebrates 25th anniversary

Org operates housing for homeless youth

Published

12 years ago

May 6, 2014

Steve Charing

AIRS began in 1987 by the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council as the faith community’s response to the AIDS epidemic.

The nearly 200 people who attended the AIRS 25th Anniversary Gala on April 26 at the M&T Bank Pavilion were later treated to a rousing performance of West Side Story at the Hippodrome Theatre next door. And as F.T. Burden, the CEO and president of AIRS/Empire Homes of Maryland, pointed out, the show’s title is a perfect metaphor for the evening’s event.

This is because the success of Restoration Gardens, a $6 million, 43-unit housing project for homeless youth ages 18 to 24 located in the west side of Baltimore and opened in 2011, has been the organization’s crowning achievement, and its story was clearly the centerpiece of the celebration.

The AIDS Interfaith Residential Services or AIRS began in 1987 by the Central Maryland Ecumenical Council as the faith community’s response to the AIDS epidemic. The first Don Miller House, which opened in 1988, served four men with end-stage AIDS. AIRS became a 501c-3 in 1989.

Chrisey Gibson-Washington shared her experiences while at Restoration Gardens and how her life improved because of the opportunities City Steps, a subsidiary of AIRS, afforded. In addition to providing a stable environment, City Steps programs teach the residents such life skills as financial literacy and home keeping as well as targeted workforce development assistance to become self-sufficient.

“Along our journey, we began using our housing and service expertise proactively, by serving homeless youth in an effort to break the cycle of homelessness before it starts and reduce the high rate of new HIV infection,” Burden told the Blade.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

14 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Michael Key

Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.

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*The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)*

Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

Published

22 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.

A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.

Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.

“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”

Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.