For
the first time in more than 20 years, low- income residents in Buffalo
are organizing to challenge the city on the way it spends more than
$20 million in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
dollars each year.
Fueled by Eastside PRIDE, the multi-issue grassroots organization
organizing 180 blocks of Buffalo’s Eastside, the fight for
block grant reform has already made improvements in the block grant
process and has developed a plan for winning more reforms.
Due to Eastside PRIDE’s efforts over the last year, the budget
that the Council voted on last week includes several of Eastside
PRIDE’s key demands. These improvements include reducing the
City’s ‘Administrative Costs’ by $1.4 million
and adding more than $300,000 for youth and senior programs at community
centers.
This is a great start, but according to Eastside PRIDE, there are
three more key reforms that still need to be made to the City’s
federal block grant process. These reforms include a more democratic
public participation process, adoption of an outcome-based performance
grant review, and making elected officials more accountable to low-income
residents.
By law, the majority of Community Development Block Grant funds
a city receives should directly benefit low-income residents. Housing
rehabilitation, youth programs, crime prevention, job training—all
those projects that help stabilize and revitalize low-income neighborhoods—these
are the kinds of project neighborhood residents want to see.
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