Aldermen allocate federal aid to agencies offering help amid pandemic
City aldermen have agreed to send more than $440,000 in federal funding to local organizations directly involved in the community’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Common Council, during a virtual meeting on Tuesday, July 7, adopted a resolution to allocate $440,426 in emergency Community Development Block Grant funding to nine local organizations. The funding was provided to the city through the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development to support the community’s COVID-19 recovery efforts. The funds were made available to the city as part of the federal CARES Act.
The vote by the council was nearly unanimous, with Alderwoman Michele Hirsch, D-Ward 9, recusing herself due to her employment with one of the agencies, Family of Woodstock.
In all, the city received 39 applications for funding.
Alderman Steven Schabot, D-Ward 8, said the council’s Community Development Committee
looked at giving funding to people and organizations that had directly responded to the coronavirus crisis, including those that provided food and shelter to people in need.
“A lot of these folks had no idea that there were going to be funds available to be paid back,” Schabot said. “They spent a lot of their own money. I’m sure a lot of these organizations put themselves in jeopardy, both financially and physically, with the work they did during this time.”
Schabot said he was proud of all that was being done in the community.
Of the funding, $30,000 will be spent on program administration and delivery.
The other funding includes:
• $90,426 to People’s Place.
• $80,000 to Family of Woodstock.
• $70,000 to Legal Services of the Hudson Valley.
• $70,000 to affordable housing agency RUPCO.
• $25,000 to the United Way of Ulster County.
• $25,000 to the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County Emergency Child Care.
• $20,000 to the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network.
• $15,000 to the Kingston Boys and Girls Club.
• $15,000 to Rise Up Kingston.