Flipping the switch on two strong federal programs for neighborhoods.

For those who do not know, the Bush Administration plans to eliminate two successful federal programs, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and the COPS Program, which will affect our neighborhoods.

There is a short, but informative article in today’s Nashville City Paper on the impact of Bush’s elimination of CDBG on our community. CDBG currently funds summer youth programs, home rehab programs for the elderly and disabled, homeless outreach, library improvements, and commercial revitalization in urban areas. According to the NCP article, CDBG money has been used for neighborhood upgrades such as playgrounds, parks, sidewalks, and drainage projects.

COPS provides grants to local law enforcement agencies to hire and train community policing professionals, acquire cutting-edge crime-fighting technologies, and develop innovative policing strategies. Their emphasis is on generating community policing.

If President Bush is successful in eliminating these programs, chances are that north-by-northwest neighborhoods would be among the most adversely affected.

Click HERE to see the CDBG website. Click HERE to see the COPS website.