Yonkers Insider: ***NEWS RELEASE***: CITY OF YONKERS DISTRIBUTES OVER AN ADDITIONAL $1.5 MILLION TO LOCAL COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE ASSISTANCE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CITY OF YONKERS DISTRIBUTES OVER AN ADDITIONAL $1.5 MILLION TO LOCAL COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE ASSISTANCE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

CBOs Granted Aid through Federal CARES Act.

 

YONKERS, NY – October 16, 2020 – Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano today announced the City is distributing over an additional $1.5 million to nearly two dozen local community-based organizations (CBOs) which have extended their services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Approved this week during the City’s Board of Contract and Supply meeting, the funds are granted to the CBOs through the federal CARES Act, which was passed in March 2020 to provide economic relief to families and small businesses because of the pandemic.

“Yonkers continues to rebuild and recover from the social and economic impacts of the global pandemic,” said Mayor Spano. “Our local organizations recognized the needs of our residents and stepped up beyond their standard services to ensure our community remains healthy and viable. Our hope is that these dollars provide the relief needed to get our local economy and families back on their feet again.”

This week, $860,000 in public service funding from Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and $840,000 in Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), or homeless prevention funding, was distributed to 22 Yonkers CBOs which applied for aid through a Request for Proposal process conducted by the City. Local agencies that were awarded include the Aisling Irish Community Center, Family Service Society of Yonkers, Groundwork Hudson Valley, Westhab, Yonkers Partners in Education and CLUSTER Community Services. Services provided to the community include providing emergency food supplies to low-income residents; delivering intensive summer education to bridge students during the pandemic; afford housing stability during the pandemic; and provide legal expertise around unemployment benefits as a result of the pandemic.

During the pandemic, the City of Yonkers also has granted funds to local small businesses through its Yonkers Business Assistance program. Since July 2020, the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency (YIDA) and the Yonkers Planning & Development department have allocated through loans or grants nearly $1 million to 70 small business in Yonkers to assist in their recovery efforts.