A $50 million federal grant is earmarked to improve Syracuse’s East Adams neighborhood. Federal and local officials cheered Wednesday as they unveiled a giant check at the city’s Wilson Park.
Tyquanne Harris, 16, was watching. He lives in Pioneer Homes, and he said he’s excited about the planned development in the area.
"It's very good,” Harris said. “(There's) a lot of bad parts in the neighborhood that need to be fixed, and they plan on doing it in the next few years."
Through a Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant, McKinney Manor and Pioneer Homes will be redeveloped into about 1,400 new housing units. The goal is to provide a variety of home types that are well-designed, sustainable, accessible, and affordable.
Richard Monocchio, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Principal Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, said he has seen federal grants turn communities around.
The transformative outcomes of these projects are truly breathtaking, and what I've seen already, and what I've read about your project, it's going to be right up there," said Monocchio.
Tara Harris, who lives in the area and is a neighborhood navigator with the group Blueprint 15, said a lot of hard work led to this moment.
“Not only did we earn it. We deserved it,” said Harris. “I’ve traveled to other cities in the last couple of months, and they were public housing. I’m like, ‘Well, why doesn’t our public housing look like that?’ So, I know that we’re on our way, so we can look like that.”
In addition to the housing, the grant will help support a number of community initiatives, including the development of a “Children Rising Center,” improving neighborhood parks, and strengthening workforce training.
Edith Hill, 16, said she’s excited that federal lawmakers are paying attention to her neighborhood.
"It feels good because it makes it so that we know that there are people that are not from Syracuse that actually do care,” she said.
