Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) announced $18,171,279 in federal funding for community projects across New York’s 15th Congressional District on Thursday, March 21. The funding, which his office said was secured through the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations process, will support a range of initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure, expanding access to healthcare, and enhancing educational opportunities for constituents.

“I am incredibly pleased to announce $18,171,279 in Community Project Funding for The Bronx,” said Torres. “These funds will have a tangible impact on the lives of residents in The Bronx and beyond, addressing critical needs and supporting vital services. I am committed to continuing to advocate for our community’s needs in Congress. Together, we can build a stronger, more vibrant future for The Bronx and all its residents.”

Officials from Torres’ team said the congressman secured funding for 14 projects that will directly benefit New York’s 15th District residents. They said these include:

• $4,500,000 for the Bard College, NY, for prison education and reentry programs (Labor HHS)
• $1,000,000 for Belmont Affordable Housing
• $650,000 for BOEDC Community Business Development Event Space Construction
• $750,000 for BronxWorks McLaughlin Center HVAC System Upgrades
• $500,000 for CareerWise Bronx Apprenticeship Training Center
• $4,116,279 for Concourse Village Podium Repairs
• $1,000,000 for Evander Childs Educational Campus Cafeteria Renovations
• $1,000,000 for Fountain House Bronx Expansion
• $500,000 for Hudson-Raritan Estuary Ecosystem Restoration, NY NJ (Harlem River Restoration, NY)
• $855,000 for Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center Backyard and Security Upgrades
• $1,050,000 for Muslim American Society Bronx Muslim Center
• $500,000 for New York Public Library Tremont Branch Roof Replacement
• $500,000 for New York Public Library West Farms Branch Roof Replacement
• $750,000 for NYCHA Morrisania Air Rights Sensory Playground and Sensory Garden
• $500,000 for Word of Life Community Center

In addition to these projects, they said Torres also secured funding for various other community initiatives, including infrastructure improvements, job training programs, and environmental conservation efforts.

They said House Democrats were successful in removing what they described as “harmful, extreme House Republican policies” from these bills e.g. attempts “to make abortion illegal everywhere, slash efforts to fight climate change, and threaten our national security.”

They said, instead, “The final bipartisan 2024 funding bills will help keep communities safe, fight inflation, and boost our economy. Taken together, the funding for New York’s 15th District and the funding increases for critical government programs will continue to grow our local economy and support our communities.”

As reported, Torres, who represents many Bronx neighborhoods, including Norwood and Bedford Park, stretching from the north to the south of the borough in what is one of the poorest congressional districts in the country (NY-15), recenlty co-led a bipartisan bill to address childcare affordability. In February, in the wake of a mass shooting at Mt. Eden subway station, he also called for more to be done to address and curb gun violence.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.