EPA $5 Million Brownfields Cleanup Grant to Revitalize Historic Family Services Building in Poughkeepsie

EPA $5 Million Brownfields Cleanup Grant to Revitalize Historic Family Services Building in Poughkeepsie

November 20, 2024

Poughkeepsie, N.Y. - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency celebrated a nearly $5 million Brownfields cleanup grant to clean up asbestos and perform other critical renovations at the Family Partnership Center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. EPA Deputy Administrator Alyssa Arcaya, standing with state and local leaders, emphasized the significance of this grant, made possible by the Biden-Harris Administration's historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which allocates $1.5 billion to the Brownfields Program nation-wide.

"This EPA grant will help clean up asbestos, preserve this historic Poughkeepsie site, and ensure that the critical services provided by Family Services, Inc. continue to benefit the surrounding communities," said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "The Brownfields Program grants, bolstered by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is a powerful tool for revitalizing communities and promoting economic growth and job creation while supporting environmental health."

Family Services, Inc. will use the grant funds to clean up the Family Partnership Center located at 29 North Hamilton Street in Poughkeepsie. The 110-year-old cleanup site was formerly a Catholic and a public high school. Grant funds will support asbestos removal, building renovations, and the preparation of a public involvement plan and community engagement activities.

Family Services, Inc. bought the building in 1997. The building currently houses Family Services, Inc. and 20 public and private service organizations that provide food and housing support, medical and dental care, mental health services, crisis intervention, education, recreation and enrichment programs to the community. The important cleanup project will ensure environmental justice and the continuation of critical services for residents in Poughkeepsie and surrounding communities.

"The Family Partnership Center has been a beacon of hope and support in Poughkeepsie for decades. This EPA Brownfields grant represents a critical investment in our community, enabling the building to remain a safe and welcoming space for the vital services that over 20 partner organizations provide to our neighbors," said Leah Feldman, CEO of Family Services. "We are deeply grateful for this support, which will strengthen our ability to meet the critical needs of residents and support everyone's right to thrive."

This grant is part of the EPA's ongoing efforts to support economically stressed communities in New York and across the nation. EPA's Brownfields Program provides essential resources to help communities clean up and redevelop contaminated properties, attracting jobs, promoting economic revitalization, and creating sustainable, environmentally just neighborhoods.

Thanks to the historic $1.5 billion boost from the Biden-Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA's Brownfields Program is helping more communities than ever before transform sites and address the economic, social and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity and environmental revitalization in historically overburdened communities.

EPA's Brownfields Program advances President Biden's Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. The Brownfields Program is committed to meeting this goal and advancing environmental justice and equity in all its work.

For more information on EPA's Brownfields Program visit EPA's Brownfields webpage.

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