About Pen Lucy

Pen Lucy is a North Baltimore neighborhood of about 3,000 residents, approximately one mile inside of the city limits. Situated along the York Road corridor, Pen Lucy is bordered by the neighborhoods of Guilford to the west, Original Northwood to the east, and Waverly to the south. Pen Lucy boasts a strong sense of community and active local leadership, and its residents draw from important local resources, including two public schools (Guilford El/Mid and Walter P. Carter El/Mid) and a network of community-minded churches and nonprofit organizations.

However, like many Baltimore neighborhoods, Pen Lucy also faces challenges, including high poverty rates, high levels of unemployment, and above-average crime rates. Roughly 25% of Pen Lucy’s residents are under the age of 18, and about 86% of its families are headed by single mothers. Both of Pen Lucy’s public elementary/middle schools have been designated as Title I schools, meaning they serve a large concentrated population of low-income students. A majority of Pen Lucy’s K-8th grade students test below grade level, and community leaders and concerned citizens have consistently cited the need for quality youth programming that addresses these educational deficits. Since 1999, the Pen Lucy Action Network has worked to address the educational, economic, social, and spiritual needs of youth and families in Pen Lucy.

PLAN's History

In 1998, the Pen Lucy Youth Partnership was founded through Faith Christian Fellowship Church to address the needs of children and youth in the neighborhood. FCF has been committed to Christian community development in the Pen Lucy neighborhood since its inception in the 1980's and founded the Pen Lucy Action Network with these same principles in mind. PLAN was incorporated in 1999 as an independent nonprofit community development organization with a mission of serving the greater Pen Lucy and Baltimore communities, expanding the services originally envisioned in PLYP.

Since its founding, PLAN has coordinated community development initiatives and services in response to Pen Lucy's changing priorities and interests. As the neighborhood has changed, so has PLAN. Though the years, PLAN has offered a sports league, Christmas and Back-to-School stores, substance abuse and addiction recovery program, adult GED and computer literacy classes, and referral services to family counseling and other assistance programs. However, our Learning Center for students in 1st - 8th grade has provided the foundation for all of our programming, and has in recent years served as an anchor for all new youth-focused initiatives and educational services.