Washington Frees Up $5 Million in Aid for Syracuse

The financial logjam in Washington has finally broken loose. This frees up $5 Million in financial aid for Syracuse non-profits that help battle poverty in the city.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development told Rep. John Katko's office that Syracuse and other cities affected by the delay should be able to begin drawing the grant money and distributing it to aid groups this week.

A HUD spokeswoman told Syracuse.com last week that payment of $4.87 million owed to Syracuse through the grant program has been delayed, but she could not explain the reasons for the holdup.

The HUD money is one of the single largest sources of federal aid to Syracuse. The city distributes the money each year to about 20 groups that fight poverty through programs for affordable housing, job training, and other aid for low-to-moderate income residents.

Syracuse, with the ninth-highest poverty rate in the nation, has received almost $60 million through HUD's grant program over the past 11 years. The city also has the nation's highest rate of extreme poverty concentrated among blacks and Hispanics.

This is great news for our community, and it is long overdue.

Visit Syracuse.com to view the original article.

Photo: Getty Images


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