WARWICK, RI – January 22, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Jim Langevin and Ron Simms, Deputy Secretary at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, will visit the headquarters of YouthBuild Providence and the Olneyville Housing Corporation to see the impact of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding this afternoon.The City of Providence decided to use $400,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding that was awarded through ARRA to renovate the former “Polish National Home” into the future headquarters of Olneyville Housing Corporation and YouthBuild. Now complete, the project created 20-30 construction jobs and four permanent jobs between the two organizations and will allow the YouthBuild program to expand its job training class size by half (from 30 students to 45).
“This project is a perfect example of how the Recovery Act works,” said Langevin. “It created immediate jobs while allowing a job training program to expand. I look forward to watching this community collaboration grow for years to come, thanks to this quick infusion of funding.”
In the past five years alone, YouthBuild Providence has helped more than 100 young adults make a successful transition into the working world. The agency now has a waiting list of more than 200 people hoping to be accepted into the program. The renovated building will also house and support homebuyer-training classes, tax-preparation services, summer youth employment, the Olneyville open-space steward program and the Olneyville Collaborative. Olneyville Housing is currently transforming its former space into an affordable rental unit.
