Last Tuesday in Union Square, Congressmember Carolyn B. Maloney joined representatives of nearly a dozen local community organizations to celebrate her securing of a total of $6.3 million in project funding for them.
All 10 of Maloney’s community project funding requests were included in the fiscal year 2022 appropriations bill. The organizations are from all around the city.
Among them was the Lower East Side’s own Vision Urbana.
“I’m thrilled that all of my community project funding requests for these deserving organizations were included in this year’s appropriations bill,” Maloney said. “These groups are integral to our community, and I’m honored to be able to support their work through federal funding.
“The $6.3 million coming to New York District 12 will fund healthcare and IT upgrades at the Floating Hospital,” she said, “empower New Yorkers in their job searches through training and financial counseling, and reduce hunger through healthy cooking, nutrition education and by expanding meals and produce services to food-insecure New Yorkers.
“It will help provide tele-mental and tele-health services to children and families with complex medical, mental health and developmental needs, and bring much-needed stability and support to our small businesses and restaurants. These funds will also provide youth development programs, community programming and workforce and entrepreneur training.”
Reverend Dr. Marcos Rivera, chairperson of Vision Urbana, Inc., said federal funding is essential to the nonprofit’s humanitarian mission.
“Vision Urbana, Inc. has responded to the growing needs of our Lower East Side residents — particularly our NYCHA families and senior households — since 1996, and even more so during this pandemic,” Rivera said. “Thousands of residents each week have been able to receive services, including weekly pantry and food-security services, indoor and mobile vaccine and testing clinics, the Vision Urbana NORC [Naturally Occurring Retirement Community] program and senior center services — and now, thanks to Congresswoman Maloney, workforce development and technology training for older adults.
“This work could not have been done without our local government and neighborhood partnerships,” the reverend said. “Now, thanks to the support and trust of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Vision Urbana can include this much-needed federal support to further sustain our services to the growing number of BIPOC seniors, families and immigrants living here in the Lower East Side!”
The $6.3 million in funds projected to come to New York’s Congressional District 12 are:
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- Manhattan Storefront Revitalization and Small Business Entrepreneurship Project, $800,000
- North Brooklyn Food Hub, $676,000
- Urban Upbound’s Youth Career and Training Program, $800,000
- Vision Urbana Older Adult Workforce Development and Entrepreneur Training Initiative, $300,000
- Construction of New Greenpoint/Williamsburg YMCA, $1 million
- Queens Together Project, $250,000
- New Alternatives for Children, Inc., for purchase of equipment, including tele-health equipment, $500,000
- Common Threads, for culinary and nutrition education, $50,000
- AIDS Service Center of Lower Manhattan, Inc. / Alliance for Positive Change, for a workforce development initiative, $1 million
- Floating Hospital, Inc., Long Island City, for facilities and equipment, $925,000
“We are so grateful to Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney for securing this critical funding to help small businesses,” said Jessica Walker, president and C.E.O. of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. “As she has done throughout her career, she fought hard for us and her efforts will help accelerate Manhattan’s economic recovery.”
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