Community Corner

Community Development Program Seeks Town Board Approval for Year 37

The program serves low and moderate-income individuals and families and has been approved by the board for over three decades.

Town of Smithtown Planning and Community Development principal Planner Elaine Learnard is looking to have the Community Development Program approved by the town board Thursday night, a program designed to assist low and moderate-income individuals and families for nearly 37 years.

The program is broken into three areas of help, which are home improvement, activities to benefit low and moderate-income persons and to provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance to sidewalks and town owned buildings.

"We don't have a lot of money to do the work, it's not a big program," Learnard said. "The jobs tend to be between $10-thousand and $20-thousand a piece. We usually have a little bit of a waiting list, people that we've heard from and people that are eligible and we get to them in the order that they called us."

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The Community Development Program has specific requirements to be able to receive its benefits, specifically with income–a family of four can make up to $82,900 to quality for the benefits of the program. Learnard said the program has a tendency to help an older demographic.

"I would say about two-thirds of our program is geared towards seniors and disabled people, and the entire program by requirement is geared towards low and moderate-income people," she said.

Find out what's happening in Smithtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Putting longevity of the program aside, nothing is promised by the town and every program is subject to board approval. Learnard is confident that the board will approve the project Thursday night.

"What I anticipate is that they will approve the proposed allocation of funding," she said. "I do anticipate that it will be approved because everything that we're proposing are programs that town board members are aware of and support them and know how it's a benefit to the community."

Learnard may be right in what she anticipates as Town Supervisor Patrick R. Vecchio said he is sure the board will unanimously approve the program.

"I will tell you that it will pass unanimously, it has never been not passed unanimously," Vecchio said. "The program has worked very, very well, it allows us to assist the handicapped, it allows us to afford, maybe 25 to 30 people that have less income that is required for an apartment. We've been grateful for that federal money."


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