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The far east side of Indianapolis will receive $3.5 million in federal funding through the city’s Lift Indy program to boost affordable housing, add wraparound services and spur community development — a substantial investment for an area that has long struggled with poverty and food access.
The funding for the area, which stretches east of I-465 and north of I-70, will offer programming at the Community Alliance of the Far Eastside, known as CAFE, to help lift families out of poverty. That assistance from CAFE alone is expected to serve nearly 3,800 people in the next three years.
Money will also support the creation of the Orchard Trail, a walkable route that will feature garden beds for the public to grow fresh food and lead to 38th Street.
The far east side is the second neighborhood selected to receive the $3.5 million in funding for 2022. City officials announced earlier this month that the mid-north area, which includes neighborhoods just north of downtown, will also receive $3.5 million in funding.
Getting a hand: This Indianapolis area is the latest Lift Indy recipient. Here’s what the funds will cover.
It’s the seventh community to receive Lift Indy funds since the program’s inception in 2017.
The Lift Indy grant will be a welcome investment for a community that has long felt forgotten.
City-county councilor La Keisha Jackson, who represents the area, has frequently pushed for city resources to go toward her district.
“This is truly an exciting day for all of us who live and work on the far east side of Indianapolis,” she said at the Wednesday announcement, “who have invested our blood sweat and tears into this area, who’ve been fighting for years to improve the quality of life for our neighbors here and who have the faith that together we can build a stronger and safer community.”
An area of need
The Lift Indy funding, will also support repairs to 27 owner-occupied homes and offer an affordable housing mortgage program to 10 low- or moderate-income homebuyers in the area.
Another program, run through Renew Indianapolis, will rehabilitate 10 existing homes.
The far east side has particularly pressing needs: its poverty rate has increased from 23.8% to 27% from 2010 to 2019 alone, according to an analysis from the SAVI data portal completed by the Polis Center at Indiana University-Purdue University.
Darlene Driver, a resident of the Peppermill Farms Apartments, walks with groceries from Dollar General to the Family Dollar next door on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. Driver, who has lived in the apartments for nearly 15 years, says she’s contacted the city on multiple occasions to pick up trash and clean up the area. She says she has to find rides once …….
Source: https://news.yahoo.com/affordable-housing-home-repairs-garden-190830822.html