The city of Philadelphia has received a major grant designed
to help revitalize a North Philly neighborhood.
The federal grant of $30 million is expected to leverage a
total of about $125 million dollars to transform North Central Philadelphia,
close to Temple University, said Deborah McCullough, who heads the city Office
of Housing and Community Development.
U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah said the money is urgently needed in
the area.
"This is the federal government making an investment,
an investment in a plan designed here in Philadelphia, to take some of our
citizens who have been in the shadows and move them into the sunshine,"
Fattah said Monday.
The grant will help transform the neighborhood, said Michael
Johns of the Philadelphia Housing Authority.
"This grant shows what happens when when private-public
entities align resources and strategies and develop a comprehensive
transformation plan for our community," Johns said.
Public housing residents and other neighbors have fought for
revitalization, according to Donna Richardson of the Norris Apartments Tenant
Council.
"They are the ones who pushed us, the tenant council
members, to go and get what they wanted," she said. "They knew they
were ready, they showed us they were ready, they have stood up, and they have
taken back their neighborhood. Now all they want to do is come out their doors
and be proud of where they live."
Among the highlights of the plan are 300 new public housing
units, mostly to replace aging apartments. It also offers a multi-pronged
approach to help residents become self-sufficient.
The work is expected to generate hundreds of jobs.
Source: Newsworks.org
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