SCHENECTADY Mayor proposes agency grants Homeless center could get large boost in aid BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
The homeless aid center that received just $32,000 in Community Development Block Grant money last year will get $150,000 this year under the mayor’s proposed Consolidated Plan budget. That was one of the only changes in a budget that uses millions in federal dollars to support low-income housing, government programs and a variety of projects run by nonprofits. The proposed budget was revealed Monday to the Schenectady City Council, which will conduct a public hearing on May 6 and will vote May 12. About $2 million of the plan is earmarked each year for city staff, including seven police officers, 12 code enforcers, and most of the development department. But the most controversial part of the program is the Community Development Block Grant, which can go to nonprofits for anything from tennis lessons to minivans. It has traditionally been given to the same agencies every year, most of which rely on the money to run youth activities and other programs. The federal government cut the Community Development Block Grant by 25 percent this year, proposing to give the city $1.9 million. Luckily for them, many programs didn’t use their entire budget and had to return their money to the city to give out again this year, so the cut won’t be felt yet. Next year, the funding reduction may be more easily absorbed, when many of the nonprofits who have counted on CDBG money for years will be cut off. The Schenectady City Council decided that after many years of funding the same programs in the CDBG portion of the budget, they would institute a two-year cut-off, beginning in 2009. Without that rule, each year’s CDBG budget looks almost identical to the last. There is only one new item in this year’s CDBG proposal: a part- time city worker who would focus on implementing the neighborhood goals in the comprehensive plan. That person would earn $33,753 in salary and benefits for 20 hours of work each week. Every other item in the CDBG budget mirrors last year’s plan. But that means there will be a lot of space for new programs and agencies next year. Agencies that will be cut off in 2009 if they are funded this year include Better Neighborhoods Inc., which stands to lose $44,000 for its homebuyer education and foreclosure prevention program; Carver Community Center, which would lose $16,877 for its evening youth activities program; Hamilton Hill Arts Center, which now gets $20,000 for CultureFest and Project Artreach; McTap, which has received $48,000 for many years as it tries to create a minority contractors technical assistance program; Damien Center, which gets $6,713 to work with HIV-positive residents; and the YMCA, which uses $33,224 to run a free summer camp at Jerry Burrell Park in Hamilton Hill. Several new agencies did try to get funding this year, but didn’t make it into the mayor’s budget. The rejected proposals include a $27,000 request from 440 State Street Inc. for murals, which city officials have considered as a way to fight graffiti. The mayor also didn’t support the two requests for equipment, something the city council has praised in the past because it’s usually a one-time cost, rather than an ongoing program that needs funding every year. The two equipment requests were: $20,185 for a minivan for Catholic Charities’ medical transportation program and $100,000 for an electronic records system at Hometown Health Centers. Also denied in the mayor’s proposed budget were a youth program run by Hispanic Outreach, at a cost of $32,284; mentoring from Big Brothers Big Sisters, which wanted $20,000; and a program by I Am Redeemed Ministries, which asked for $40,000. The agency wanted to run a “quality housing and employment” program, which was one of only three programs to receive a score of “low priority” from the city’s development office. The other two others were Thomas Sports Group’s flag football and academic assistance programs. Thomas Sports asked for $17,500 for academic assistance and $3,000 for football. Two other agencies were also denied: the popular 15-LOVE tennis program, which asked for $20,000, and SCAP’s career readiness program, which had one of the highest requests at $100,294. three weeks, four of my customers have donated to the program. I give them the option of donating the car rather than spending more money on it than necessary. I got a history with the car and I talk to Tammy about it.” A person can claim a charitable tax donation if Catholic Charities gives the car to a family, Brooks said. If Catholic Charities deems the vehicle too expensive to repair, it will sell it or scrap it and then the person can only claim a partial deduction. Catholic Charities will accept vehicles built no earlier than 1997, with less than 150,000 miles and able to be made road-worthy for $1,000 or less, Brooks said. For more information, call 346-3861.
Program for poor seeks mechanics’ help BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
Catholic Charities of Schenectady County’s Wheels for Work Program is getting less state money this year, but it hopes to stretch its grant by working with local auto repair businesses and other groups. Catholic Charities received a one-year grant of $218,125 through the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance for the program in 2008-2009, a decrease of $60,000, said Program Director Tammy Brooks. The money is used to repair donated vehicles, up to $1,000. The vehicles are then given to low-income families who need transportation for work. Under program guidelines, participants must be age 21 and older, have minor children, earn below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which equals $3,400 a month for a family of four, and work a minimum of 30 hours per week, Brooks said. All program participants are women. “A family living at 200 percent poverty level is struggling with the basics of life,” Brooks said. “They have little or no health insurance and day care issues and then they’re looking at getting to their job each day.” Buses and taxis are not options, as buses often do not offer second-shift schedules and taxis are expensive, Brooks said. “These are families on food stamps, Medicaid, some kind of assistance, but they are working,” she said. “They are trying to do everything they can not to be in this position.” Families must participate in Catholic Charities-run programs that teach money management and other life skills, Brooks said. “To get a vehicle, you have to be a client and all clients are required to take basic budgeting, financial literacy classes and go through a tax-return literacy class,” she said. Catholic Charities helps pay for the donated car’s repairs during the first two weeks, or will try to obtain another car should the fi rst car prove too expensive to repair. It also helps with car insurance, which the family must repay. Catholic Charities hopes to use the grant to help 70 families with their transportation needs and provide at least 30 of them with vehicles. The program serves families in Schenectady, Albany and Rensselaer counties. There is a 120-day waiting list for a vehicle. It is trying to stretch the grant this year by trying a new component, Brooks said. “We will work with garages and will assist clients with a private purchases of vehicles, especially around tax return time through our case-management component.” Several garages, such as Princetown Autobody, work closely with Catholic Charities. Business owner Gary Fatato, 44, for one, has worked with the agency for more than three years; he charges it less than half his hourly rate for vehicle repairs, which starts at $75 per hour. “I like to help people,” Fatato said. “I can tell you that in the past MEREDITH L. KAISER/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Gary Fatato, owner of Princetown Auto Body, changes a tire on a customer’s vehicle Monday at his shop in Princetown. The owner of the vehicle has previously donated a car to the Catholic Charities Wheels for Work program. Fatato takes the donated vehicles and restores them to driveable condition if possible.
County asks state for money for youth job training center
SCHENECTADY — Schenectady County is seeking a $750,000 grant from the state to create a learning facility to train more than 1,100 atrisk students from the five towns for high-paying jobs. The county Legislature will discuss the grant application at its meeting, 7 p.m. tonight at the county office building. Northeast Parent and Child Society would receive the funds and establish the Career Development Center at 530 Franklin St. The center would offer jobtraining at a computer lab, targeted at 18- to 24-year-olds from Niskayuna, Glenville, Rotterdam, Princetown and Duanesburg. The youths, who come from lowto moderate-income families, either did not finish high school or fi nished high school but cannot fi nd a job. The program would provide job skills, often through partnerships with local businesses, in occupations involving computers, digital imaging, graphics, construction, brownfield remediation and as emergency medical technicians. In other business, the Legislature will consider home-rule legislation allowing the Metroplex Development Authority to increase its bond cap from $50 million to $75 million. Metroplex has tapped $42 million of its cap and is seeking the increase it to move economic development efforts beyond downtown, its initial mandate. The legislation would also extend Metroplex’s expiration date by five years, to 2033. The state Legislature would have to approve the request.
And get this. This grant would be to set up an area to teach at-risk kids who live in the rural areas (towns/villages) to teach them job skills so that they could get a job and be a productive part of society. OK, sounds good. Now, remember, you're talking about kids from Rotterdam, Princetown, Duanesburg, Scotia, Glenville, Niskayuna, Rotterdam Junction, Pattersonville. And these are parents who don't make much money. So...where is this training going to be? Where do they want to set up this office? You got it. Downtown. They're changing the Social Security office around the corner from City Hall into a training center for these kids...if they can get there.
They are just laying down propaganda so those folks out there will cry for a better bus route and some entrepreneur will pick up on it and offer cab rides.....there is alot more to government planning than meets the eye.....there are ripple effects that make/break/change etc things it touches......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
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