COATESVILLE >> The Coatesville Area Senior Center (CASC) has found new life as it continues to offer programs and services for seniors at a new location in the city. Area seniors, CASC staff and board members, and local elected officials met for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new building at 250 Harmony St. Wednesday morning
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Coatesville Area Senior Center opens new facility
By Lucas Rodgers, lrodgers@21st-centurymedia.com, @LucasMRodgers on Twitter
Updated: on 09/07/2016
Trump and the Republicans want to take our ability to create things like the new Coatesville Senior Center away.
"One of the items that caught attention was a planned end to the Community Development Block Grant program. Many focused on an incorrect claim that the action would mean an end to all funding of Meals on Wheels programs throughout the country (the bulk of national funding comes through the Older Americans Act Title IIIC). However, CDBG is much bigger and, as it turns out, a cut would hit every state in the union.
CDBG is a series of block grants made to states and municipalities. Local organizations parcel out the funds, which are integral to the operation of many community-based non-profits. They include local groups that provide meals to seniors, daycare centers for people of low income (many local Head Start programs, for example), network revitalization, economic development, infrastructure and public services, and more. Is there waste? Perhaps. Is there good done? From what I've seen, yes."
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Forbes
Trump Community Development Block Grant Cut Would Affect Millions
MAR 18, 2017 @ 10:23 AM 4,354
Erik Sherman , CONTRIBUTOR
The Trump budget calls for the elimination of Community Development Block Grants. This is devastating to the redevelopment of the City of Coatesville.
"President Trump has presented his first budget proposal, a document containing many surprises, and quite a few points that have alarmed various groups of people from housing advocates to environmentalists to diplomats. Count me among the alarmed. In Pennsylvania, Counties are on the front lines of spending on human services. We leverage a wide range of tax dollars from the Federal and State Governments to run important intervention programs through our various departments. We also work closely with the non-profit community, which is heavily supported by government grants to do the hard work serving our vulnerable citizens."In the past 10 years, Chester County has received over $21 million in funding from Community Block Grants. Of that massive sum, almost $15 Million went to non-profits doing fantastic work or to county departments directly serving clients. Some examples are almost $1 million for the Domestic Violence Center, almost $300,000 for the Charles A. Melton community center in West Chester, over $333,000 for La Comunidad Hispana in Kennett Square, over $2 million to renovate several senior centers and Millions more for various religiously affiliated charities...
Another $7 million went directly to municipalities for various local projects. For instance, the City of Coatesville received over $900,000 for street improvements, building demolition and storm sewer repair. In all, 11 boroughs and townships received grants through this program, which supplements significant investment by the County’s open space preservation and urban center revitalization program.
In 2016 alone, the County’s Department of Community Development reports that 6,940 Chester County residents benefited from Community Development Block Grant funded activities by either having infrastructure improvements in their neighborhood, their home rehabilitated or their favorite senior center renovated to be more useful for them.
Trump Budget Director Mick Mulvaney defended the elimination of this funding stream by saying that we do not see any “return on investment.”
Clearly, Mulvaney has not thought it through. When a non-profit uses this money to help a family overcome homelessness, that family can once again contribute to the economy. When a senior gets access to regular hot meals, their family can experience benefits to their bottom line and their peace of mind. When a small town can make infrastructure improvements, it helps small businesses. The examples are endless. Return on investment on this spending is amazing, whether measured in economic activity or by the improvement of actual people’s lives.
In short, the Community Development Block Grant program has a far-reaching impact on our community. At the County, we would face hard choices between raising taxes and cutting services – or likely a mix of both. Even local governments would feel the pinch with less revitalization money available, and I don’t even want to consider what will happen in Harrisburg where they are dealing with a mess already!
But even more critically, anyone who is a donor or volunteer with a local non-profit, or even a large non-profit doing work locally, should be troubled by this proposal. Chances are, your favorite organization’s programs would be scaled back by the Trump budget. The full price will be paid by our seniors, our children and our neighbors dealing with homelessness, drug addiction, hunger or family crisis."
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Op/Ed: Block grant cuts will be devastating
Apr 5th, 2017 ·
It's a good thing Obama was president when Jim DePetris of DEPG proposed building the Coatesville Gateway Retail and Residential project in Coatesville, PA.
By Kathi Cozzone, Chester County Commissioner
"The presentation came as part of a public hearing in which DEPG asked for the city’s sponsorship in pursuing a Chester County Revitalization Program grant that would help pay for a parking garage on the north side of Diamond Street to accommodate the $21 million business plan."
DEPG wants to bring restaurants, retail, homes to Coatesville
Feb 25th, 2015 ·
Developer wants support to seek grant for parking garageBy Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times
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