Two years ago, Belair-Edison was a neighborhood that prospective homebuyers might have driven through on their way to more sought-after areas, says community leader Barbara Aylesworth.

Not anymore.

"We have a bigger audience of prospective buyers looking at our neighborhood, and it's because we've had the resources to work on our real estate, our pride, image and marketing," said Aylesworth, director of Belair-Edison Neighborhoods Inc.

Home remodelers have been busy in Belair-Edison, one of seven city neighborhoods picked in the fall of 2000 for a $13 million, two-year revitalization pilot program. The other neighborhoods are Ednor Gardens, Garwyn Oaks, Midtown, Patterson Park, Reservoir Hill and Southern Mondawmin.

Mayor Martin O'Malley and other politicians and community leaders will celebrate the second year of the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative today during a news conference in Garwyn Oaks at the home of Leon Carlton, who received a mortgage and remodeling loan through the program.

But time and funding - the primary concerns - are running out, and many people are weighing whether the program has a future.

A $1 million gift from the Abell Foundation, which will be announced today, will help, but more commitments are needed, supporters say.

The program has enough money to last until next June or July, said Jayson Schkloven, a public relations agent hired by Live Baltimore, a chief supporter of the neighborhood initiative.

Without offering details, the director of the mayor's Office of Neighborhoods, Israel C. Patoka, said the program's future "looks really strong." Patoka said home values in many of the initiative's areas have increased during the past two years, a fact that might encourage investors to stay with the program longer.

The Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative offers below-market interest rates for mortgage and home improvement loans, and provides neighborhood groups with cash for projects such as planting trees, adding streetlights and holding block parties.

The program has been funded by public and private investors and institutions, including the city, the state and 15 banks. More than 80 low-interest mortgage or home improvement loans totaling about $3.4 million have been dispensed through the program, said Schkloven.

The program's success varies. In some neighborhoods, home values reportedly are up, and demand for the loans has been high. Other areas are lagging.

No specific amount of money is earmarked for each neighborhood, organizers say.

Belair-Edison, one of the city's larger neighborhoods geographically, targeted streets near Herring Run Park for its revitalization efforts. Belair-Edison residents have secured about 40 loans totaling about $450,000 through the initiative, said Aylesworth.

"We were facing a little bit of decline, appearance-wise. Home values were lower, and there was a lot of moving on to the suburbs," Aylesworth said. "There was a loss of sense of community. But with Healthy Neighborhoods, you can proactively reverse the negative trends."

Initiative money has funded a golf outing and ice cream socials in Belair-Edison, and residents have heeded Aylesworth's request to keep outdoor lights on at night, all efforts at rebuilding a sense of community.

In Garwyn Oaks, few residents have applied for the loans, according to Mereida Goodman, president of the Garrison Boulevard United Neighbors Association, which includes the neighborhood. "I am looking for more people to take advantage of what I think is an excellent opportunity," she said.

Two initiative loans have been approved, and 12 others are pending for Garwyn Oaks, an area smaller than Belair-Edison, Goodman said.

Although she is disappointed that more residents in her area have not secured loans, Goodman is encouraged that more people are beginning to ask questions about the program.

"The idea is that Healthy Neighborhoods is focused on investing time, talent, and money into your community," she said. "It's kind of like tithing, only in a community development way."