The Shelter Alliance is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kimrose Goodall as Executive Director, effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Goodall brings to the position a distinctive blend of medical, psychological, and theological expertise, shaped by years of hands-on work as a physician and counselor. Her deep commitment to holistic care uniquely equips her to lead The Shelter Alliance in its mission to serve Kent County’s unhoused population.

Raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Dr. Goodall briefly resided in Baltimore, Maryland during her youth, attending Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. Subsequently, she returned to Jamaica and completed the International Baccalaureate program at Hillel Academy in Kingston and went on to earn a Bachelor of Pure Sciences and a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from the University of the West Indies. After completing Medical School in 2018, she served as a medical doctor at both the University Hospital of the West Indies and the Constant Spring Medical Center in Kingston, Jamaica for over 6 years.

During her medical practice, Dr. Goodall developed a deep passion for addressing the psychological and emotional needs of vulnerable populations. This led her to pursue a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology at the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology, where she graduated with honors in 2024. As part of her graduate training, she completed a clinical practicum at the A.F. Whitsitt Center in Maryland, serving as a Counseling Psychology Intern and working directly with individuals navigating substance use and housing instability.

Dr. Goodall’s academic and clinical background includes trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and multicultural competency, equipping her to serve individuals from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and psychological backgrounds with both insight and empathy. Her approach is shaped not only by professional experience, but also by her own personal journey which includes a season of experiencing housing insecurity. This lived experience fuels her passion for providing holistic, dignified, and compassionate care, and deepens her understanding of the complex barriers faced by those without stable housing.

Founded in September 2024, The Shelter Alliance aspires to establish and operate a 24/7/365 shelter in Kent County, Maryland.  Since its inception, The Shelter Alliance has provided emergency accommodations in local motels, offering temporary shelter to those in need.  To date, it has provided 97 bed nights to 38 individuals.  It has assisted three of these clients in securing permanent housing in partnership with Deep Roots (Earleville), Maryland Rural Development Corporation (Chestertown), and Corsica River Mental Health Services (Centreville).

With a full-time shelter, The Shelter Alliance will expand its impact, helping more community members transition from crisis to stability.  The Shelter Alliance welcomes support from the public.  Checks payable to the Mid-Shore Community Foundation with the designation THE SHELTER ALLIANCE in the memo line may be mailed to P.O.  Box 2, Chestertown, MD 21620.  The Shelter Alliance, Inc.  is a component fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

For more than a decade, state lawmakers passed laws to protect and uplift Maryland’s LGBTQ+ community – from marriage equality for same-sex couples to boosting health care access for transgender individuals. The second Trump administration is likely to put those protections to the test.

President Donald Trump (R) has signaled from day one of his administration that it was going to be an adversary to transgender people, signing an executive order on the first day of his second term that prohibited gender ideology in federal policy, defined sex according to biological factors at conception and rescinded 15 federal policies and guidelines on transgender equality.

In the days and weeks that followed, Trump signed orders banning transgender individuals from girl’s and women’s sports and from military service, prohibiting federal funding or support for gender-affirming care for youth, and more. Congress is also looking to prohibit federal dollars going towards transgender health care.

As they begin Pride month, a time when the LGBTQ+ community comes together to celebrate progress and reflect on setbacks for the gay and transgender community, some Maryland transgender advocates fear current state protections may not be enough to counter federal efforts.

“Maryland is in a better position than most,” said Ruth Carlock with Trans Rights Advocacy Coalition. “Now that we’re in the Trump administration, a lot of those things might not be as strong as we’d hope, and we might need more legislation in the future.

“One thing I’ve been saying a lot over the past six months,” Carlock said, “I’m feeling very proud to be a Marylander, while feeling less proud of being an American in this current state of politics.”

Lee Blinder, a nonbinary official who chairs the Maryland Commission on LGBTQIA+ Affairs in the Governor’s Office and works with advocacy group Trans Maryland, has mixed feelings about the state’s progress this year.

Gov. Wes Moore stands behind LGBTQIA+ Commission Chair Lee Blinder, who said that state is not doing enough to support the transgender community during the 2025 session. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown)

“We really are in an excellent place compared to so many of our sibling in other states like Florida and Texas,” they said. “However, we have not seen the kind of movement that we would want to see from Maryland that we’ve been able to accomplish previously.”

Blinder is particularly disappointed that the Birth Certificate Modernization Act, did not pass. The bill would have made it easier for transgender people to make changes to their birth certificates, among other measures, relieving administrative headaches that can occur when gender markers do not align on various documents. Transgender advocates have been pushing that bill for the last few years.

Blinder feels transgender people were not prioritized this past session, and publicly brought those concerns to Gov. Wes Moore (D) during an event at the State House recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility. Blinder criticized what they called the administration’s lack of support to protect the community amid federal measures to diminish the presence of transgender people in day-to-day life.

“We know who you, Governor Moore, can be for us, and I am here begging you to do it,” Blinder said, while standing next to Moore.

“It will not get easier to support trans people. It will not get easier to commit to this community, it will only get harder in the days that come,” Blinder said at the time.

They hold those concerns to this day.

“We’re facing a state of emergency for the trans community — the same message I had before on Trans Day of Visibility. That still applies,” Blinder said in a recent interview.

There were some successes for gay and transgender people this legislative session. In May, Moore signed House Bill 1045 into law, which tweaks the state’s shield laws on legally protected health care that prohibits physicians from turning over patient information regarding “sensitive health services.” In Maryland, that includes gender-affirming care as well as abortions.

Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick), who chairs the Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus, noted some other wins for the LGBTQ+ community. House Bill 39 and Senate Bill 356 were signed into law, removing a criminal penalty for intentionally transferring HIV to another person, which advocates say was antiquated and discriminatory.

But Fair noted that the state budget was a major hurdle to progress across issues this session, as the state grappled with a $3 billion deficit, resulting in widespread program cuts and limited dollars available for new initiatives in general.

Del. Kris Fair (D-Frederick) said budget woes this session made it difficult for many bills to move, including some on transgender issues. (Photo by Danielle J. Brown/Maryland Matters).

 “We had an overarching deficit budget that we were dealing with, that was unavoidable and sucked all of the oxygen out of the room,” Fair said. “Every conversation was buried under this question of the budget.”

Despite the slowed progress this session, Fair believes that Maryland is “light years ahead” of other states when it comes to LGBTQ+ protections.

“It is the incredible wisdom of the legislature over the last 13 years that has truly saved us, starting with the Maryland (Marriage) Equality vote in 2012 and moving forward from there,” he said.

During his term, Moore has approved a handful of bills creating transgender protections that advocates say will be crucial in the coming years.

One of those is the Trans Health Equity Act signed in 2023, which requires Maryland Medicaid to cover medically-necessary gender-affirming care.

Congress is debating whether to prohibit federal Medicaid dollars from funding gender-affirming care. If that prohibition becomes law, the state may have to backfill any federal matching dollars currently supporting gender-affirming care under Maryland Medicaid to align with the Trans Health Equity Act, if funds are available.

Advocates are also thankful that the state’s shield law for legally protected health care was expanded in 2024 to include gender-affirming care. The intent is to protect the medical information of persons who seek gender-affirming care in Maryland from being shared across state lines, and potentially into the hands of law enforcement in states that are more hostile to transgender people.

“The Moore-Miller Administration will continue to protect the civil rights and livelihoods of LGBTQIA+ Marylanders by working with the state legislature, local leaders, and community advocates to deliver results for this community uniquely targeted by the Trump Administration,” a Moore spokesperson said in a written statement.

Due to these and other policies, Maryland is largely recognized a “safe haven” for gay and transgender people. The Movement Advancement Project, which assesses states based on laws that protect or harm transgender residents, ranks Maryland as seventh in protections on gender identity, and sixth for LGBTQ+ protections overall.

Blinder and Carlock say that Pride month is important, now more than ever, for building community supports to take care of one another even if state protections don’t stand up to anti-transgender federal policies.

“It’s so easy for the practical needs that are so urgent to take over and to overshadow the very real need for us to be able to find joy and to celebrate,” Blinder said. “Because it’s not possible to survive these kinds of attacks without experiencing joy and experiencing the community connections and bonds that we have with one another.”

Carlock said that some advocates have even been more active in the community since Trump took office.

“That’s been one of the nice things about the last few months is this sense of community that has slowly been – you know, it’s always there, but it’s nice seeing that expand in the face of danger,” she said. “But also recognizing that that positive turn is coming from an existential threat and big fear of legislation to come.”

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by Danielle J. Brown, Maryland Matters
June 6, 2025

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: [email protected].

The National Park Service has added Sumner Hall, located at 206 S. Queen St., to its Reconstruction Era National Historic Network. This network, created in 2019 by the John D. Dingell Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, includes historic sites related to the Reconstruction Era, 1861-1900. As noted by the Network, the Reconstruction Era “is one of the most fascinating and misunderstood periods in American History and includes stories of freedom, education, and self-determination.”

The Charles Sumner Post #25 of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was created during the Reconstruction era in 1882 by twenty-eight African American Civil War veterans. The GAR was a fraternal organization for both African American and white Civil War veterans. The building that stands on Queen St. was constructed in 1908 and was restored in 2014 after falling into disrepair.

Today Sumner Hall serves as a museum, educational site, performance stage, social hall, and exhibit gallery with the goals to celebrate, preserve and educate about African American history and life in Kent County and beyond.

Sumner Hall and the David Hunter GAR Post in Beaufort, SC are now the only historically African American GAR posts still standing in the United States. More information about the Network can be found here.

Board member Dr. Ruth Shoge thinks “Sumner Hall is a very special place. It keeps alive the memories of Kent County African American Civil War veterans and the rich and diverse culture of the Kent County community.” Vanessa Ringgold, president of the Sumner Hall board hopes that Sumner Hall’s inclusion in the Network will attract more attention to this historic jewel in Chestertown. “Sumner Hall stands as a powerful testament to the resilience and fortitude of the African American community during the Reconstruction era and beyond. We look forward to welcoming visitors who discover Sumner Hall through this Network.”

For more information contact Sumner Hall at [email protected] or visit https://sumnerhall.org/

 

The public is invited to attend the June 19 meeting of the Democratic Club of Kent County. Kent County’s own Mayor John Carroll of Galena will discuss his travels across the state visiting every incorporated municipality in our state. He will discuss what a municipality is, why historically municipalities were incorporated, and why they are centers of growth, jobs, and community. He will also explain why municipal government is an excellent place for aspiring local leaders to begin their political careers.

The meeting will be on Thursday, June 19, at Sumner Hall, 206 S. Queen St. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. A brief business meeting will be conducted by the club at 6:45 p.m. The meeting will start at 7 p.m. and end no later than 8:30 p.m. For more information contact the Democratic Club of Kent County at [email protected].

Terwana Brown, president of the Chester Valley Ministers Association (CVMA), began their May meeting with this story: “We received a donation from a family who opened their electric bill, and it was higher than expected. Their thoughts turned to folks who will struggle to pay this kind of increase, so they donated to the Good Neighbor Fund.”

Good Neighbor Fund is a program of the Chester Valley Ministers Association, which supports our neighbors in need. Community members are referred by the Department of Social Services (DSS) for help with rent (eviction prevention), utilities, prescriptions, transportation, short-term childcare, and emergency housing. The referred community members have demonstrated needs that cannot be fully met by DSS. The Good Neighbor Fund partners with The Samaritan Group to support these referrals all year round.  The need for assistance is increasing substantially. Financial support from the Good Neighbor Fund for community members in need has doubled in the last 5 years, and increased by 30% in just the last year.

The Chester Valley Ministers Association, an association of individuals from non-profit organizations and interfaith communities, administers the Good Neighbor Fund (GNF). We are thankful for the individual donations and grants received from the United Way of Kent County, the Rotary Club, Chestertown Elks Lodge #2474, Knights of Columbus, Chester Lodge #115, the Women & Girls Fund, and local churches.

We are volunteers who have been serving the community since 2008. If you would like to volunteer, please contact [email protected]. Volunteers are needed Tuesdays from 9:30-noon at the First United Methodist Church, 105 N. Mill Street, Chestertown, MD

All contributions are administered to support people in need.

Our officers are:

Terwana Brown, President, Kent Attainable Housing, Mt. Olive AME

Rev. Amy Yarnall, Vice President, Christ First UMC

Niara Wilson, Secretary, Community Health Outreach Worker

Jen Rickert, Treasurer, Community Member

Chester Valley Ministers Association meetings are open to the public for all to attend. We meet at Christ First United Methodist Church 401 High Street, Chestertown, MD on the first Tuesdays of the month, in the Christ building of the campus. Our next meeting is 9:30 a.m. on June 5, and will resume monthly meetings after the summer on September 4.

More information may be found on these websites:

https://chestervalleyministers.org/good-neighbor-fund

https://www.samaritangroupofkentcounty.org/