Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504120052
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He was right.
The groans of disappointment began at a public meeting Tuesday. Members of a few organizations challenged the city's preliminary decision not to fund their requests and questioned the city's commitment to education, health and anti-crime programs serving youths.
"For years, I've watched and listened at these meetings as you all have done Band-Aid surgery on the youths," said Sema Kemp, a board member and mother whose four children have benefited from the West End Center, one of the organizations that so far does not have federal funding designated for it next year.
At issue is federal money the city receives annually under three programs: the Community Development Block Grant, a housing ownership program called HOME, and federal assistance for homeless shelters.
Almost 70 private organizations, city offices and quasi-government agencies have submitted requests for funding in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
The requests totaled $4.9 million, which Ritchie called "a record" level. Yet the city has only $3.7 million in federal money to divvy up. And it stands to lose some of that if Congress cuts block grant and HOME funding, as the city has been warned to expect.
As a result, 15 applications were flatly turned down in the draft plan, which is subject to change. A small number were fully funded, while many groups received only a part of what they'd asked for.
The funding is divided into six broad categories: housing programs, which are being allotted $1.4 million; economic development, $1.1 million; administration and planning, $552,000; neighborhood and community development, $289,000; human services, $219,000; and homeless assistance, $167,000.
Requests for which all funding has been denied total $735,000. Most of those are for youth programs.
The largest single grant, $555,000, will go toward repaying a federal loan that helped pay for renovating the Hotel Roanoke.
The complaints voiced Tuesday came from representatives of three organizations: the West End Center, which wants $12,500 for additional parking space for volunteer tutors; the YMCA's Family Center branch, which has requested $58,500 for a youth computer education program; and the Virginia Skyline Girl Scout Council, which has asked for $5,000 to help defray the cost of summer camp for 45 low-income girls.
"Are we truly investing in the children of our community?" asked Millard E. Bolden, program director for the YMCA Family Center. "If we're continually investing in buildings, where will the children of our valley be?"
Kate Genaitis, chief executive officer of the Girl Scout council, said it's far cheaper to spend money on youths early in their lives than later on, when they're already troubled.
"I wonder, when the city says its priority is for youths, why it doesn't commit the money ... to provide for their health and well-being," she said.
Ritchie emphasized after the meeting that the draft is subject to change. Over the next 30 days, planners will review the applications and tinker with the allotments, he said. City Council has scheduled a public hearing May 8.
"We'll go back and look it over, particularly on a couple of these that people talked about," he said. "There's a strong likelihood that there'll be changes as a result of the meeting tonight.''
by CNB