On Monday, March 27, Congressman Jamaal Bowman met with organizations throughout the district about $20 million in funding he secured for community projects. “It’s great to come together as a community in celebration of these much needed federal dollars,” Bowman said.
Jamaal Bowman (D) was first elected to Congress in 2020 to represent New York’s 16th Congressional district. The district currently comprises all of Yonkers, parts of the Bronx, as well as the majority of Westchester County. With a professional background in education, he has focused heavily on children and family programs.
Bowman held this roundtable with nine of the 15 funding recipients at Andrus in Yonkers–which is also a recipient of this funding. Executives and representatives from organizations like New Rochelle Public Schools, the Youth Shelter Program of Westchester, and the YWCA of Yonkers broke off into small groups to discuss prepared questions posed by their Congressman. Bowman challenged these groups to “Access and unlock your imaginations,” in regards to how to work collaboratively to utilize these and potentially future funds.
“What’s as important, is for us to build collaborative networks that serve the needs of all constituents. […] This work can’t be done alone and the more we get to know each other, the more we are able to do transformational work.”
Jamaal Bowman – United States Congress NYCD16
The 20 million dollars in funding spanning these groups will be primarily focused on children and families.
An innovative use of funds will be seen in New Rochelle. There, traditional summer school will be supplemented by “summer experiences.” Instead of this program being used to hoist under-performing students to the next grade, it is meant as a positive, proactive program transitioning 2,000 students upwards in the city. In Yonkers, the YWCA is receiving almost $700,000 in federal funds towards the construction of a state-of-the-art computer lab. The YWCA of Yonkers’ building is 120 years old, and these funds help ensure its maintenance and more importantly, its efforts to provide workforce development training for sustainable jobs. Joanne Dunn, executive director of the Youth Shelter of Westchester, said that congressed Bowman, “dared them to dream” about how to better serve their communities. She continued to note that this funding and group discussion event was “just the start.” Funding was also awarded to some other disparate programs. Programs like the rehabilitation of the Yonkers Sewage Treatment Plant and solar panels for the Hastings-on-Hudson Public Library.
Looking beyond today’s event, the participants were motivated by Bowman’s insistence upon the “power of collaboration.” In the press conference that followed the roundtable discussion, participants coined an impromptu name for their new group. The name, “Family United,” is meant to describe their commitment to working together on common causes by sharing their knowledge and resources to, in Bowman’s words, “maximize resources across [cities and towns] across the area.”
The full list of funding recipients
$2,001,503 to Bronx Community Health Network to create a new Bronx Community Health Network Community Health and Wellness Center in the Northeast Bronx.
$2 million to the City School District of New Rochelle to create a holistic summer and after school learning experience for K-12 students.
$330,055 to the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in the Bronx to expand and renovate its community facility.
$802,583 to the Julia Dyckman Andrus Memorial to create a fund to enable equitable access to mental healthcare and counseling for uninsured and underinsured children and families in Yonkers.
$1,125,000 to Justice Innovation to fund a Community Youth Violence Intervention Initiative in New Rochelle.
$3 million to Montefiore Medical Center to expand behavioral health clinics in Westchester County Public Schools.
$999,000 to the Mount Vernon Youth Bureau to launch Safe Place 4 Our Girls to provide support and behavioral development activities for at-risk girls ages 10 to 21.
$2 million to the NYC Mayor’s Office and the NYC Department of Education to relaunch NYC’s Children’s Cabinet to support unhoused children and families.
$800,000 to Regional Aid for Interim Needs, Inc. to develop new wrap-around services for older adults at Older Adult Centers in NYCHA developments and veterans community centers in the Northeast Bronx.
$1 million to St. John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers to improve emergency healthcare equity by expanding its emergency department space.
$750,000 to the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson to install geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, and improve energy efficiency at its public library and village hall.
$2,560,000 to Westchester County for a study of the Lake Isle Dam to promote safety, flood mitigation, and environmental justice in Southern Westchester.
$750,000 to Westchester County for the necessary final stage of a rehabilitation for Yonkers’ Sewage Treatment Plant.
$690,449 to the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Yonkers to equip and connect Yonkers residents to workforce enhancement & recession-proof employment opportunities.
$1.6 million to the Youth Shelter Program of Westchester to pilot a mental health and educational support program for at-risk youth ages 18 to 24 in Mount Vernon known as the YouthHEAL Initiative.
