By Joyce Kryszak
Buffalo, NY – A housing rehabilitation project on the West Side was hailed last week by HUD secretary Shaun Donovan as a victory for community revitalization. But some wonder if the renovation of six houses on 19th street is a wasted effort.
Richard Smith lives next door to one of the six houses being renovated. But not for long. Smith says no matter how pretty they make the house next door, he wants out.
But supporters say the idea behind the renovations is to make the neighborhood less terrifying. The project is a joint effort by a partnership of local community revitalization groups, including Homefront and Push Buffalo. A young woman, July Oo and her two children will soon move into the first house being rehabbed. Oo speaks little English. But her excitement over her first home is easy to understand.
Housing advocates say they're banking on that pride of ownership to help transform neighborhoods like this one. That's why federal, state and local entities have pooled resources to fund the $1.2 million rehab and resale effort. Bryan Cacciotti [ca choh tee] is executive director for Homefront of Buffalo. He admits the rise in crime makes their job harder. But he says abandoning neighborhoods is not the answer.
Cacciotti and other advocates say that new federal legislation being proposed by Senator Schumer would help solve the problem. If passed, cities such as Buffalo would have more flexibility with federal housing funds. Money to rehab houses also could be used to fight crime.
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