Ryan and Schumer Secure Nearly $5 Million for FPC

POUGHKEEPSIE – Recently Congressman Pat Ryan and Senator Charles Schumer secured nearly $5 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for Family Services to further its renovations at the Family Partnership Center. The $4,970,806, along with the $1 million in federal funds that Ryan secured for the Center earlier this year, will help Family Services complete asbestos abatement projects and rehabilitate the 110-year old building in which the Center resides. The Center houses 19 organizations that provide critical services to Poughkeepsie families, supporting them with everything from healthcare to education to physical fitness programming. Ryan recently joined Family Services CEO Leah Feldman and board members for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the Center’s most recent renovations.

“Weeks ago, we came together to cut the ribbon on the newest renovations at the Family Partnerships Center, and I’m proud that this nearly $5 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, along with the $1 million I secured earlier this year, will help further the rehabilitation of the building,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “Family Services has forged a critical support system that uplifts Poughkeepsie families at the Center and its impact is undeniable. That’s why I’ve fought tooth and nail for these funds and will keep fighting for the resources needed to complete this restoration.”

“Poughkeepsie Family Services has a vision of revitalizing the vacant high school into a pillar for support for our children and families, and now that complete transformation is taking another major step to becoming a reality. I was proud to deliver $1 million earlier this year to jumpstart many of those renovations, but the building is old, with asbestos still present and in need of many major repairs to create the welcoming hub our Poughkeepsie families need to thrive. That is why I am so proud to deliver this major investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law. This funding isn’t just helping cleanup the historic building, it is laying the foundation for a brighter future for our families across Dutchess County,” said Senator Charles Schumer. “The Brownfields program has had tremendous success in transforming sites like this into areas of new growth and these dollars will help accelerate cleanup and redevelopment efforts at the Center. I am proud to deliver this federal investment to revitalize our communities and will always fight for a brighter and cleaner future for the Hudson Valley.”

“The City of Poughkeepsie has the opportunity to be a thriving city. We are diligently working on plans to redevelop areas of our city to provide a better quality of life and better services for all our residents,” said Poughkeepsie Mayor Yvonne Flowers. “The $4.9 million grant to Family Services Inc. to rehab the Family Partnership Center property will help toward the City of Poughkeepsie’s overall redevelopment plans. I want to thank Senator Schumer and Congressman Ryan, for their diligent efforts to ensure redevelopment funding is available for communities like the City of Poughkeepsie. Congratulations, Family Services Inc. I am looking forward to seeing the new improvements to the FPC in the near future.”

“We are thrilled to receive such a significant investment from the EPA to further our dedication to environmental justice and responsibility,” said Leah Feldman, Family Services CEO. “It is extremely meaningful to have the support of Federal partners, especially Senator Schumer and Congressman Ryan in our commitment to safety and in furthering our mission of creating healthier and safer communities for generations to come.”

The nearly $5 million investment comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s funding of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Brownfields Program, which funds cleanups of sites contaminated by hazardous substances and allows them to be revitalized for future public use. This funding, combined with the $1 million in federal Community Project Funding secured by Congressman Ryan will allow Family Services to make additional critical upgrades, including asbestos abatement, that will increase the safety and accessibility of the building, allowing for the Center’s further expansion.

Congressman Pat Ryan battled for nearly a year to secure the $1 million in federal Community Project Funding for Family Services to complete renovations of its Family Partnership Center, a 110-year-old building. Ryan recently helped cut the ribbon on the Center’s new Duffy Community Room and Lateef Islam Auditorium. The 19 services housed at the Family Partnership Center include:

* CMedtraining
* Comunilife’s Life is Precious Program
* Dutchess Community College
* Dutchess County Department of Community & Behavioral Health
* Dutchess Outreach
* Family Services
* Financial Development Center: An Extension of Heritage Financial Credit Union
* Finish Strong Wellness Center
* Flores Chiropractic Group
* Hudson Valley Justice Center
* Mighty Young Techs
* MVP Network Consulting, LLC
* Planned Parenthood of Greater New York
* Poughkeepsie District’s Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Library
* Poughkeepsie Performing Arts Academy
* Saving Our Tomorrow
* Sun River Health
* The Institute for Family Health
* The Love Quest Foundation

The $1 million in funds that Congressman Ryan secured for Family Services will also help complete an asbestos remediation project in the Family Partnership Center. Congressman Ryan has amassed a record of fighting to reduce harmful environmental exposures for Hudson Valley families, especially in Poughkeepsie. Ryan is fighting to remove lead pipes from the city’s drinking water system. Lead pipes can cause dangerous exposures to the neurotoxin, no level of lead exposure is safe for children. Last year, Ryan brought EPA leadership to Poughkeepsie to assist the city in addressing its lead pipe crisis, and is working with the city to secure additional funding for lead pipe removal.

Congressman Ryan has secured over $1 million in federal Community Project Funding for the construction of the Dutchess County Youth Opportunity Union (YOU) and delivered $1.27 Million for AmeriCorps to expand the Student Conservation Association’s Hudson Valley Corps in Poughkeepsie. In November of 2023, Congressman Ryan secured $2.5 million to start new early education and expand after-school enrichment programs in Poughkeepsie schools.