Maya McFadden Photo
Break-out at Tuesday night’s brainstorming session.
New Haveners urged the mayor to use the city’s upcoming once-in-a-generation federal aid windfall to decrease crime, add youth programing for all ages, and invest in more community centers.
Mayor Justin Elicker received that input at an in-person community brainstorming session he convened Tuesday evening at Hillhouse High School.
New Haven government expects to receive roughly $90 million in aid from the American Rescue Plan Act to go towards funding the city’s social and economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic (on top of a similar separate amount for the schools).
Elicker: We have to use this money thoughtful and together.
Elicker and city staffers told participants Tuesday night they were there to gather ideas for how to spend much the money (beyond $26.3 million that has already been targeted for, among other uses, a “summer reset initiative” to focus in on youth engagement, arts and culture, and safety.
About 50 community members gathered in the Hillhouse cafeteria in small groups. While enjoying their own individual pizzas, the groups discussed their concerns, proposed solutions, and prioritized their importance.
Elicker encouraged the group to think long term for the funding.
“We have to think about how we can invest in the community so that it gives back to the city,” he said.
The city will be hosting several more input sessions in-person and online this summer and make use of online comment tools and neighborhood kiosks.
In the small-group discussions, participants focused on the need for more jobs, less neighborhood violence, more access to health care and youth training, nonprofit funding. They also called attention to digital gaps, littering, lacking green spaces and community gardens, and pandemic-related trauma.
Proposed solutions included: financial literacy training, rent control, additional affordable housing, aid for undocumented residents, livable wages, community centers in every ward, free public transportation, job pipelines, a community wifi network, and more youth scholarship funding.
Cynthia Parker suggested the city provide funding for a large-scale event honoring the recent homicides and deaths in the city. “It can be a step towards addressing mental health and our neighbors can heal,” she said.
Tuesday’s community gathering.
One group discussed additional year-round youth programming. “We can’t just give them a little bit of attention in the summer then leave then hanging once it’s over,” said Newhallville activist Shirley Lawrence. “This attention and stability has to be consistent.”
The Newhallville Community Management Team brought their meeting to the Tuesday gathering rather than its usual meeting on Zoom. Team Co-chair Kim Harris shared that her group wants the city to aim for 100 percent voter turnout and graduation rates.
Taylor Smith.
Clifford Beers Community Health Organizer and Newhallville mother Taylor Smith has two kids, ages 4 and 5. She suggested that the city invest in creating educational programming for youth under age 5.
Smith said the city targets too little programming tp this age range. That “can lead to a whole summer of dead time for their learning, social capabilities, and everything,” she argued.
She described the pandemic as “economically damaging” for many parents while leaving parents like her and many of her friends with daycare as the only option.“That’s a hefty bill to take on,” she said.
Smith, a New Haven native. said the city does a good job with gathering community input but doesn’t “want it to keep stopping there.”
“We need action,” she said.
Smith was working to create a summer rock climbing program hosted at a Science Park gym but missed the deadline to submit a proposal. “The community knows how to grow the community. They just have to give us the support,” she said.
City Engineer Giovanni Zinn takes group’s notes.
Elicker said after the Tuesday meeting that it produced priority for focusing the federal aid, including job training and supporting parents with pre-school aged youth.
“We have to get this right, because we won’t see an opporunity like this again,” Elicker said.
Elicker Host American Rescue Plan Conversation about Funding Ideas
Posted by New Haven Independent on Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Is this really the best use of our Chief Engineer's time?
And what ever happened to the Transition Team Report? It was massive and detailed.