Rep. Gallego Secures $8.5 Million in Funding for 10 Projects in Arizona’s 7th District in House Spending Bills

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-07) announced that the House Appropriations Committee has fully funded all 10 Community Project Funding (CPF) requests he made on behalf of his District in this year's House spending package. In addition to meeting a diverse array of community needs, these projects will bring a total of over $8.5 million in funding to Arizona's 7th District if signed into law.

Rep. Gallego made the following statement:

'I am thrilled that the Appropriations Committee decided to fully fund all ten of the projects I submitted on behalf of our community.'

'These projects will go towards housing and caring for homeless veterans in the Phoenix area, providing meals and social services for residents of affordable housing, renovating the old Crippled Children's Hospital in Edison-Eastlake into a community services center, upgrading the Highline Canal Path in Guadalupe, improving 911 communications services in Glendale and clean water access in Tolleson, building a Child Education Center and community internet café in Guadalupe with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, expanding behavioral health and primary care services for constituents, creating an Arizona Hospitality Academy to provide necessary job training to community members looking for work, and re-engaging high school graduates left behind during the pandemic by helping them apply for and achieve higher education.

'I am especially grateful to the many community partners - nonprofits and local governments alike - who worked closely with my office on these projects. I look forward to continuing to work with our local leaders to get these projects signed into law.'

The following projects were included in the final appropriations bills:

Project Name: Arizona Hospitality Academy (AHA)

Recipient: Arizona Opportunities Industrialization Center (AOIC)

Total Funding Secured: $1,200,000

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding will allow the AOIC to create, as part of its existing job training programming, the Arizona Hospitality Academy (AHA). The AHA will work with area hotels and resorts, the Culinary Workers Union, federal, state, and local governments, to train and place job-ready candidates in industry positions following the successful model of the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas. This project will generate value for (1) economically disadvantaged and racial minority residents of the Phoenix metropolitan area by providing a secure pathway to employment and a career in hospitality, (2) the hospitality industry by creating a sustained pipeline of qualified employees, and (3) the city of Phoenix as it will reduce unemployment and cement the city's status as a world-class tourism destination with excellent hotels, restaurants, and bars.

Project Name: Class of 2020 and 2021 Re-Engagement Project

Recipient: Be A Leader Foundation

Total Funding Secured: $175,000

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding for the Class of 2020 and 2021 Postsecondary Re-Engagement Project will allow Be A Leader to target graduates from two of the most diverse high school districts in Arizona and provide them with individualized support with the financial aid and postsecondary application process, and support through their first semester of college. This project will positively impact the future of these communities as these students, many of whom are Hispanic, Black, or Native American (90%) and experiencing poverty (74%), will see increases in the future earning power as a result of this program, breaking generational cycles of poverty, and combat the declining number of District 7 students enrolling in college due to the pandemic.

Project Name: Edison Impact Hub

Recipient: City of Phoenix

Total Funding Secured: $1,000,000

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding will allow the City of Phoenix to renovate the historic Crippled Children's Hospital from a vacant, dilapidated building to a community services center, named the Edison Impact Hub, in the Edison-Eastlake Community. Renovations will include interior and exterior improvements, returning the exterior facade to its original historic state, and public art, walkability and open space additions. This project will allow the Edison Impact Hub to ultimately house a Federally Qualified Health Care (FQHC) medical and behavioral health clinic, a community commercial kitchen and garden, workspace and training for small businesses, and other services aligning with the community-driven Edison-Eastlake One Vision transformation plan.

Project Name: Glendale 911 Communication Center Upgrades

Recipient: City of Glendale

Total Funding Secured: $840,000

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding will allow the City of Glendale to upgrade the technologically outdated 911 Communication Center that serves as the primary answering point for all emergency and non-emergency Police, Fire, and EMS calls within the Glendale city limits. Due to the increase in the volume of calls and the short-term and long-term growth projected in the city and county, public safety administrators fear that call demands are outpacing technological resources. This project will ensure that Glendale's 911 Communication Center is up to date and remains viable for decades to come, saving lives and serving the community long into the future.

Project Name: Highline Canal Recreational Path Lighting Replacement

Recipient Name: Town of Guadalupe

Total Funding Secured: $501,824

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding will enable the Town of Guadalupe to replace the 76 presently inoperable solar powered path lighting fixtures and poles to improve path lighting and safety along the Highline Canal path. The current lighting system has been subjected to repeated vandalism and theft. This project will increase opportunities for safe recreational activities and exercise for an underserved community in Guadalupe, AZ.

Project Name: Potable Water Well #8 Drainage Project

Recipient Name: City of Tolleson

Total Funding Secured: $638,000

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding will allow the City of Tolleson to relocate and make improvements to an existing well drainage area to provide more efficient and reliable maintenance for a potable water well. This critical project assures the delivery of quality water to the underserved population of the City of Tolleson.

Project Name: Pascua Yaqui Tribe Child Education Center

Recipient: Pascua Yaqui Tribe

Total Funding Secured: $840,000

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding will allow the Pascua Yaqui Tribe to construct an Education Center in the Town of Guadalupe targeted towards Pascua Yaqui Youth and open to the community. This two-story facility would house an Internet Cafe for the public, classroom and virtual learning space for disadvantaged K-12 students, and an administrative area for faculty and staff. This project will provide needed access to broadband and community space to students, individuals and organizations in an underserved area that is 93% Hispanic and Native American with a median household income 40% lower than the average in Maricopa County.

Project Name: Renovation for Veteran Transition Housing Program

Recipient: United States Veterans Initiative- Phoenix (U.S. VETS)

Total Funding Secured: $1,500,000

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding will allow U.S. VETS to renovate and upgrade a building to house many of the District's most vulnerable veterans, many of whom would be otherwise homeless. This project allows U.S. VETS to take Veterans off the street, provides them with a warm meal, a bed to sleep in, and opportunities for comprehensive support including mental and physical health care, workforce training, benefit attainment, counseling, and peer mentoring that will ultimately assist them in obtaining permanent housing.

Project Name: Terros Health McDowell Health Center Service Expansion

Recipient: Terros, Inc. DBA Terros Health

Total Funding Secured: $900,000

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding will allow Terros McDowell Health Center renovate 10,000 square feet of space to 1) expand the primary care area from three exam rooms to nine exam rooms supporting three primary care providers; 2) further integration with primary care providers and psychiatric providers located in the same area; and 3) incorporate specialty services for adolescents with our innovative Café program model focused on caring for high-risk and at-risk youth in our communities. Patient capacity would increase from 2,000 to 6,000 individuals. This will enable the expansion of primary care and behavioral and mental health services to an underserved area of the City of Phoenix, offering quality care to residents that need it most.

Project Name: Vista Village Resident Service Center

Recipient: Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. (CPLC)

Total Funding Secured: $1,391,402

Project Purpose and Explanation: Project funding will allow CPLC to renovate a building that will house non-profits providing wrap-around services to the 80-unit Vista Village affordable housing complex also run by CPLC that serves low-income residents and special populations including homeless, veterans, seniors, and domestic violence survivors. This project will enable the provision of case management, education and employment counseling, meal assistance, family support and crisis intervention, substance abuse treatment and more to vulnerable low-income housing residents and the nearby community.

The CPF program allows Members of Congress to submit no more than 10 eligible requests to set aside funds within specific federal accounts for certain projects proposed by public institutions, localities, states, Tribes, or non-profits. You can learn more about the CPF program on the House Appropriations Committee website here. More information about the 10 community project funding requests submitted by Rep. Gallego to the Appropriations Committee for fiscal year 2022 can be found here.

Rep. Ruben Gallego is a Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Iraq. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Natural Resources Committee, and the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

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