IndyEast Touts Year One Accomplishments
Organizers of an effort to better the near east side of Indianapolis are celebrating the accomplishments achieved in its first year. John Boner Neighborhood Centers says the IndyEast Promise Zone has secured 14 federal grants worth $9.6 million.
The effort earned the promise zone designation from the federal government in April 2015. IndyEast Promise Zone was created by John Boner Neighborhood Centers, the city of Indianapolis and nine implementation partners.
"The resources secured during this first year will create more than 100 new jobs, serve ex-offenders returning into our community, provide summer and year-round jobs for at-risk youth, provide targeted fair housing enforcement, and enable neighbors to become certified in healthcare fields in addition to other efforts," said James Taylor, chief executive officer of John Boner Neighborhood Centers. "These activities benefit not only the IndyEast Promise Zone area, but our entire city."
John Boner Neighborhood Centers says the funding secured over the last year has helped local groups achieve their goals, including:
- Provided money for brownfield assessments on industrial sites
- Created opportunities for an increase in arts programming
- Developed a pathway to increase the participation of low-income and minority residents in health careers
- Increased education, outreach, and investigation of fair housing violations
- Created over 100 new jobs
- Increased the number of matched savings accounts available for low-income residents to accelerate their savings and reach their goals faster
The group says more than $29 million in pending federal grant applications have been submitted by 19 organizations to eight federal agencies.