Letter to Julian Castro, Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - City of Utica Department of Urban and Economic Development Application

Letter

Dear Secretary Castro,

I write in support of the City of Utica's Department of Urban and Economic Development's application for a designation as a Promise Zone (PZ) through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Promise Zone designation will empower Utica to create jobs, increase economic activity, improve educational opportunities, reduce violent crime in high poverty areas, promote health and access to healthcare, and increase access to quality affordable healthcare.

The City of Utica is located in Oneida County, New York and is home to approximately 62,000 people. The proposed Utica Promise Zone (UPZ) location covers a population of 20,228, of which about half live in poverty which is more than three times the national average and much higher than the PZ criteria. 25% of UPZ residents are immigrants and refugees who face additional challenges integrating into the Utica community. Median household income in the UPZ is $20,299, which is less than half of the national household median income. Further, the four main street commercial corridors in the City of Utica are included in the proposed UPZ.

While the City of Utica faces all of these challenges, the area has made significant progress that will be enhanced by the PZ designation. The requested designation will provide critical federal support to programs that are focused on creating sustainable jobs, increasing economic activity, improving educational opportunities, reducing violent crime, promoting access to healthcare, and increasing affordable housing through partnerships with local organizations. The City of Utica worked with the Municipal Housing Authority to build an $11.5 million Hope VI housing project in 2003 that will be central to the UPZ. Other non-profits, like the Johnson Park Center, operate within the UPZ and already have infrastructure in place to continue revitalizing Utica. Further, Cornell University's Rust to Green (R2G) initiative has an urban studio in Utica, where they provide technical assistance and empower the local neighborhood to prioritize projects to meet their needs. The Promise Zone designation will allow Utica to continue vital community development initiatives like these, providing the area's most distressed communities an opportunity to improve and succeed.

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