City of Gary Awarded $500,000 Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant

Choice-Neighborhood-Grant-team-1On Friday, January 14, 2015, Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson and Antonio R. Riley, Regional Director, Region 5 of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that Gary has been awarded a $500,000 Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant.

In January, 2014, Gary, along with six other cities was selected by the White House Council on Strong Communities (SC2) as one of seven strong city initiatives to create new partnerships between federal agencies. Other cities included are Chester, PA, Cleveland, OH, Detroit, MI, Fresno, CA, Memphis, TN, and New Orleans, LA. The partnerships will work on plans for growth by creating jobs, managing public safety and rebuilding the public infrastructure.

Freeman-Wilson introduced Riley, lauding him for continuing to work with Gary and making good on his promise to deliver. Riley’s speech was brief, outlining the approach as being a holistic endeavor to connect assets to build better housing and vibrant communities. He said that the City of Gary has a tremendously rich history, but like many other areas, the city has faced economic disruption, jobs are scare and communities are struggling.

He applauded Freeman-Wilson’s initiatives including the demolition of the Sheridan hotel, the creation of several jobs and getting the community engaged in the process. Riley explained that the Choice Neighborhood Grant will help support joint-efforts and transformation plan initiatives across the country and will help cities pursue their plans for growth and development. We are looking forward to working with you in your community to win the future by building stronger and more resilient communities and laying the foundation for economic development, Riley said.

Choice-Neighborhood-Grant-team-2Freeman-Wilson announced that the University Park East corridor has been chosen as the focal location. This section is a severely distressed area that has experienced significantly higher rates of vacancy, poverty, crime, and disinvestment The long-term vacancy rate is near 40 percent and violent crime is nearly three times the City’s average. “Being selected as a Choice Neighborhood by HUD today, has further confirmed that we definitely have people locally and all the way to the White House pulling for Gary, Indiana’s comeback. These funds will not only help us transform a neighborhood, but we’ll change perceptions and continue to restore hope. That’s priceless,” said Freeman-Wilson.

Other key partners in Gary’s initiative include Indiana University Northwest, Ivy Tech Community College, Gary Community School Corporation, WorkOne Indiana, ARISE Gary, Indiana Parenting Institute, Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission, Broadway Area Community Development Corporation, Gary Public Transportation Corporation, Gary Redevelopment Commission, EJP Consulting Group, LLC. Riley noted that the planning process typically takes about two years to complete, however, Freeman-Wilson estimates that Gary will take about eighteen months. After completion monies will be awarded for implementation.