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Community Corner

westchester losing $7.4 million

Westchester County is losing $7.4 million in 2011 community development grants, due to the continued dispute between County Executive Astorino and HUD.  The federal government is not releasing funds to local governments because they want to punish poor neighborhoods for actions taken by the County Executive. This dispute is hurting communities like Greenburgh. We had counted on CDBG funds to be used for programs that are benefitting low/moderate income areas. I have previously called on HUD to alleviate the impact on innocent communities like Greenburgh (that are in compliance with federal affordable housing laws) by transferring the funding to the State of New York for its administration of programs in Westchester. The state now administers small cities CDBG programs in other counties.  

 

There is one other avenue that might be explored…an application for funding out of the “Secretary’s Fund”.  I do not know if HUD currently has any budget authority for that Fund.  A remote possibility is for HUD to transfer the County’s about to be lost funding…to the Secretary’s Fund…and then to consider individual applications from the “wounded” municipalities for such funding.  The time is quickly running out for use of the 2011 impounded funds in this manner.  I am writing to our federal representatives in Congress and will be urging them to give this option their attention.

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The HUD/county dispute is hurting poor people in Westchester. The only group that is being hurt by the impounded federal funds is the poor  because federal dollars that had been allocated can’t be used to help them.

PAUL FEINER

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