Inner County Outreach

For 40 years, Inner County Outreach (ICO) has been a steadfast presence for families along Maryland’s Route 40 corridor. Founded on faith and fueled by a passion for community, ICO exists to meet families where they are in moments of need, crisis, or transition and walk alongside them toward stability and hope.

“We’re here for families in any form of trauma or disruption,” says Natalie Johnson, ICO’s Executive Director. “That could be food insecurity, substance abuse, mental health concerns, after-school needs, family support, or therapy.”

ICO operates through three divisions — Comprehensive Basic Needs, Mental Health and Wellness, and Youth and Family Services — offering assistance that ranges from residential facilities for young men in the foster system, to after-school programs, summer day camps, therapeutic mentoring, life skills classes in detention centers, and a food pantry. The organization’s service model, which Johnson calls “intergenerational wrap-around services,” focuses on addressing immediate needs while connecting families to long-term resources.

One unique area of ICO’s work is its focus on breaking cycles of incarceration, known as “intergenerational recidivism.” Through programs like Project Seek, ICO supports children with incarcerated parents, offering group therapy, advocacy, and referrals to supportive services.

At the heart of ICO’s approach is the belief that disconnection — whether caused by incarceration, family breakdown, isolation, or lack of resources — is one of the biggest risks to youth well-being. 

This year marks a major milestone for ICO: the launch of the Paradise Project, a long-awaited capital expansion 20 years in the making. On 24 acres outside Aberdeen, ICO will build an early education center for 220 children, expand summer camp capacity to 250, enhance mentoring programs, and create nature-based healing spaces, including a meditation trail.

ICO’s network runs deep thanks to decades of partnership with schools, health systems, the judicial system, and other nonprofits. Many referrals come directly from these partners, and more from word of mouth, ensuring that families in need know where to turn.

At its core, ICO is powered by empathy. “Without empathy, you can’t understand someone’s why, their trauma, or their needs,” Johnson reflects. “You can’t build a healthy community without it.”

For ICO, that community is built one relationship, one family, and one generation at a time. And their door remains open to anyone ready to walk that journey with them.