Today, Representative Lois Frankel (FL-21), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, announced the inclusion of nine important local community projects in the first Fiscal Year 2022 spending package, which passed the House by a vote of 219 to 208.
“I’m pleased we were able to secure robust one-time funding for a diverse array of programs in Palm Beach County to deliver healthcare to individuals who are struggling financially, assist our homeless, and boost education opportunities for our children,” said Rep. Frankel.
This is the first-time community project funding has been used since 2011. This process allowed Members of Congress to secure investments for nonprofit or governmental programs in in their communities. Earlier in the year, Rep. Frankel announced this funding opportunity and hosted a series of meetings with local and state officials and nonprofits who were interested in funding through this mechanism. All meetings were open to the press and on the record. The House Appropriations Committee instituted new rules to guarantee transparency going forward. A full list of new reforms is available here.
The House package now goes to the Senate for consideration, and a final bill is expected to be passed later this year.
The following are the projects included in the Labor, Health, and Human Services and the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations bills for FY 2022, listed here in alphabetical order:
AVDA offers a comprehensive array of services for all victims of domestic violence.
Funding requested to expand their campus so they can provide further outreach and prevention programming to a broader part of the community and expand their assistance to domestic abuse survivors.
Location: Delray Beach, Wellington, and Northwood, FL
Funding Requested: $511,886
Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is a non-profit youth development organization with 17 clubs in the area that provide programs and prepare children for college or a career after high school in safe, welcoming, positive environments.
Funding request to put the College and Work Readiness Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program in Boys and Girls Club Centers in Delray, Wellington, and Northwood. The program helps minority, low-income youth by preparing them to be an integral part of a skilled labor force throughout Palm Beach County.
Location: 8645 W. Boynton Beach Boulevard, Boynton Beach, FL
Amount: $1,136,206
Caridad Center is the largest free healthcare clinic in Florida, offering comprehensive medical, vision, and dental care for the uninsured and underserved children and families of Palm Beach County.
Funding request to provide for important infrastructure upgrades and the purchase of medical equipment.
Location: 2300 High Ridge Road #115, Boynton Beach, FL
Amount: $125,000
The Early Learning Coalition works to build a community-wide commitment to ensure every child is ready to succeed in school and life through comprehensive, high-quality early learning environments. Their collaborative partnership with the Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County allows for continuity of care and funding for families, resulting in more than 30,000 children served annually in Palm Beach County.
Funding request to support a parent-to-teacher workforce pipeline project to help parents looking to return to work and fill the staffing gap currently felt by early learning programs as a result of the pandemic’s impact on the child care industry.
Location: 5841 Corporate Way, Suite 200, West Palm Beach, FL
Amount: $327,066
Alpert Jewish Family & Children’s Service is a not-for-profit organization, with a mission to serve the community by providing a wide range of needed social services to strengthen individuals and families of all denominations.
Funding request to help meet the growing mental health needs in our community and allow for the implementation of a new Electronic Health Record system that will provide the technological support needed to expand services further into the community.
Location: 1640 South Congress Avenue, Palm Springs, FL
Amount: $500,000
The Pace Center for Girls provides at-risk girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through education, counseling, training, and advocacy.
Funding request to provide educational tools and upgrades to the Pace Center. Proposed enhancements include upgraded classrooms, technologies, instructional tools, computer lab, counseling spaces, and common areas for girls.
Palm Beach County will lead this effort and is supported by the Palm Beach County Housing and Homeless Alliance (Continuum of Care), that consists of a membership of over 80 nonprofit homeless providers, state and local governments, health care providers and advocates.
Funding request to help provide medical respite and acute and post-acute recuperative care for people experiencing homelessness when they are not ill enough to remain in a hospital but too ill to recover on the streets. This service would dramatically decrease the cost of care for homeless patients (including those with HIV) and would improve health outcomes for Medicaid/Medicare patients.
Palm Beach State College is a public college with multiple locations in Palm Beach County with nearly 49,000 students.
Funding requested to help expand the clinical laboratory to provide Respiratory Care students with better training opportunities through medical simulations to prepare them for the future workforce. Upon completion of the Associate in Science degree of Respiratory Care program, the graduates obtain their Registered Respiratory Therapists license.
Location: 2802 North Australian Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL
Amount: $988,900
The Lord’s Place is a non-sectarian, social impact organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness by providing innovative, compassionate and effective services to men, women, and children in our community.
Funding requested to renovate elements of the Family Campus with apartments, community center, and a youth center that is called home by 120 (including 75 children) people at any given time. Since 1983, The Lord’s Place has assisted thousands of families experiencing homelessness and that challenge has only grown due to the impact of the pandemic.
