Senator Reed brought U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Julián Castro to Rhode Island on October 10.
Secretary Castro began the day by joining Senator Reed, Governor Lincoln D. Chafee, Mayor James Diossa, and Congressman David Cicilline for a neighborhood tour of Central Falls. HUD is one of the key federal agencies assisting city officials to jumpstart a revival of economic development in the city.
During the tour, the officials saw how federal investments are being put to work creating jobs and opportunities for more Rhode Islanders, as well as improving neighborhoods and helping low-income families become more self-sufficient.
The group also visited La Casona Restaurant, which has received a federal micro-enterprise zone grant for small businesses through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
The tour concluded at Forand Manor, where the Central Falls Housing Authority is located. The officials met with graduates from HUD’s Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) Program. Senator Reed announced that housing agencies in eleven Rhode Island cities and towns – including Central Falls – will receive a total of $944,261 in federal FSS funding to assist communities in developing local strategies to help public and assisted housing residents find work, access job training resources, and achieve economic independence.
