最新杏吧原创

ST. LOUIS 鈥� The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has designated three 最新杏吧原创 nonprofits as EnVision Centers 鈥� one of HUD Secretary Ben Carson鈥檚 signature initiatives that aim to centralize support services focused on economic self-sufficiency.

Community development group Better Family Life鈥檚 facility at 5415 Page Boulevard will serve as one of the centers. Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church also received the designation, and it plans to open its EnVision Center in the former Langston Middle School building at 5511 Wabada Avenue, which closed in 2017 and is still owned by 最新杏吧原创 Public Schools. Flance Early Learning Center at 1908 O鈥橣allon Street was HUD鈥檚 third local pick for the designation.

While some have questioned whether the program is much more , HUD officials praised the program as groundbreaking.

鈥淣ever before have federal agencies, state and local governments, the private sector, the faith-based community and nonprofit groups come together, at this level of coordination, to advance economic opportunity and self-sufficiency,鈥� HUD Regional Administrator Jason Mohr said in a statement announcing the designations.

Mohr, HUD鈥檚 最新杏吧原创 Field Office Director James Heard and 最新杏吧原创 Mayor Lyda Krewson announced the designations during an event downtown on Dec. 20.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 designation of them as affirms their legacy, affirms their commitment and affirms their track record,鈥� Krewson said.

There aren鈥檛 any new direct federal resources that come with the designations, but Mohr said HUD officials would work with other federal agencies to help the nonprofits access more federal funding opportunities. Heard compared the designations to the 鈥淧romise Zone鈥� initiative begun under President Barack Obama鈥檚 HUD 鈥� a designation also without direct funding attached meant to give certain areas of the country, including north 最新杏吧原创 and north 最新杏吧原创 County, a leg up when they applied for federal grants.

Heard also said that it鈥檚 a way to raise 鈥渁wareness鈥� and that the designation could help the organizations鈥� marketability. He also stressed that additional 鈥渢echnical assistance鈥� would be available from HUD officials that could help the nonprofits navigate federal funding opportunities.

鈥淲e are so happy to have this designation,鈥� Better Family Life CEO Malik Ahmed said during his remarks at the announcement. 鈥淲e urge HUD to make, if not direct resources ... put us in contact with people that can bring about resources. We want to see the revitalization of north 最新杏吧原创.

鈥淚t has to be more than a legacy initiative. It has to be a bona fide initiative that has real, credible, tangible, quantifiable results.鈥�

Esther Shin, who as CEO of the nonprofit Urban Strategies works closely with Flance Early Learning Center, said she, too, sees the program as similar to the Promise Zone designation, but focused on nonprofits rather than an entire area. She added that the Promise Zone emphasized infrastructure and transit funding more so than human capital, which the EnVision Centers seem to prioritize.

Ahmed said in an interview that he wants the program to work and is optimistic that HUD will follow through.

鈥淚 think HUD is serious and committed to trying to redirect the entire federal government to invest in these EnVision Centers,鈥� he said. 鈥淲ith HUD being willing to provide technical assistance, do the introductions to various agencies, a lot can come out of it. 鈥� That鈥檚 the most difficult part of dealing with the federal government is navigating through their system, so having someone on the inside saying that 鈥榣isten, these are organizations we have designated as top priorities for urban redevelopment and we want those resources.鈥欌��

The three 最新杏吧原创 nonprofits will next gather input from the neighborhoods they serve and their stakeholders in order to determine what services to offer before the new EnVision Centers open, according to HUD.