Skip to content

SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND REVEAL SYRACUSE WILL RECEIVE OVER $4 MILLION FOR LOCAL PROJECTS IN SOON-TO-PASS BIPARTISAN SPENDING PACKAGE; INCLUDES I-81 JOB TRAINING, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, A NEW CATHOLIC CHARITES HOUSING SERVICE CENTER, & PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING

Critical Funding From Senators Will Create Jobs, Build Homes, Promote Mental Health Services, Combat Homelessness, & Keep Our Communities Safe  

Schumer, Gillibrand: From The Redevelopment Of I-81 To Affordable Housing These Projects Get To The Heart Of Syracuse’s Present Challenges And Pave The Way For A Brighter Future 

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today revealed that Syracuse will see investment to the tune of over $4 million for critical local project from the recently revealed bipartisan omnibus spending package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. The senators said that Syracuse-based projects included:

  • $300,000 for the Syracuse Build initiative to train Syracuse youth for I-81 construction jobs.
  • $1,000,000 to aid Syracuse’s Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative to build 50 new homes for income-qualified homeowners, and 150 rental units.
  • $3,000,000 toward the construction and renovation of the new Catholic Charities of Syracuse Housing Services Center for emergency homeless housing and mental health services.
  • $140,000 for the City of Syracuse and Syracuse Police Department to continue efforts to equip all uniform officers and supervisors with body-worn cameras.

“Jobs, housing, and public safety. These are some of the biggest challenges that face Syracuse today, and that is exactly what these projects aim to solve,” said Senator Schumer. “I am proud to deliver this critical investment in Syracuse’s youth and its future.”

“With this federal investment, Syracuse will be able to tackle an array of critical infrastructure and housing projects,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I am proud to have worked to secure these millions in funding to address some of Syracuse’s most pressing problems and I’ll keep fighting to bring federal dollars to Syracuse.”

Both senators delivered big for the ongoing community-led effort for the transformation of Syracuse’s I-81. Schumer and Gillibrand explained that the $300,000 they secured for I-81 construction job training will help young people who are not enrolled in school or participating in the formal labor market get the support and training they need to start careers in construction, specifically working to uplift the community through the I-81 redevelopment project. This initiative builds on the senators’ continued advocacy to expand local hiring as part of the I-81 project. Last year, they brought Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to Syracuse to visit I-81 and to push for the use of a local hire program to connect disadvantaged workers, including disadvantaged young people, to construction jobs created by the I-81 project. The senators were able to eventually include a permanent local hire program in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment & Jobs law, providing an opportunity for New York State to be one of the first users in the nation of the local hire program, utilizing the new authorities to provide local hire opportunities as they invest in the redevelopment of I-81.

The $1,000,000 Schumer and Gillibrand delivered for Syracuse’s Resurgent Neighborhoods Initiative will bolster the city’s ongoing project to increase the city’s inventory of quality, affordable homes. Specifically, this funding will go towards efforts to build the final 19 of 50 planned homes. The senators said these newly built homes will fill in the gaps created by the demolition of blighted structures, providing new and expanded access to affordable housing and effectively re-weaving back together neighborhoods currently in transition across Syracuse.

In addition to their joint requests, Schumer personally secured $3,000,000 in funding towards the construction and renovation of the new Catholic Charities Housing Services Center that will include an 80-bed emergency shelter for homeless men. The new facility is expected to include six apartments for homeless men who are either living on the streets or in a shelter, will include on-site health and mental health services, case management, a job training program, and will establish a large office space for the Catholic Charities staff who are currently spread out throughout Syracuse.

Schumer also delivered $140,000 to outfit the remaining 14 uniformed sergeants of the Syracuse Police Department with body-worn cameras, promoting public safety and accountability. In recent years, the City of Syracuse and Syracuse Police Department have worked to equip the majority of their uniformed police officers with body-worn cameras. This expansion will put body-worn cameras on all uniform officers and supervisors.

###

Previous
Next