Buffalo News (New York), September 26, 2007, Wednesday

Copyright 2007 The Buffalo News
All Rights Reserved
Buffalo News (New York)

September 26, 2007, Wednesday
CENTRAL EDITION

SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. B2

HEADLINE: Strategy offered to address blight

BYLINE: By Mark Sommer - NEWS STAFF REPORTER

BODY:

A new think tank has released a report recommending comprehensive strategies to address Buffalo's poverty and blight through housing reforms.

The Partnership for the Public Good hopes to bring progressive ideas to the forefront in discussions about economic development in Buffalo. Its members are PUSH Buffalo, Buffalo First!, Coalition for Economic Justice, Buffalo ReUse and WNY Homeless Alliance, plus faculty from the University at Buffalo Law School and Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

"We think a revitalized Buffalo is one that will focus on cultivating the assets we have in the neighborhoods and in our communities, as well as addressing the root crises we see, particularly in regard to poverty and vacancy," said Alli-son Duwe, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Justice.

The report, "Integrated Approach to Fighting Blight and Poverty in Buffalo's Low-income Neighborhoods," calls for significant investment in rehabilitating housing. To promote community renewal, the report calls for a comprehen-sive assessment of abandoned parcels as well as a strategy for thousands of demolitions and resulting green spaces.

"Weatherization is potentially a gold mine for low-income people," said Aaron Bartley, director of PUSH Buffalo. "Rather than paying $500 gas bills, a minimal investment from the state can literally cut utility bills in half and provide for a more economically viable neighborhood."
Emphasizing the link between low-paying jobs, blight and poverty, Bartley said the group's goals could be met by employing neighborhood residents with good-paying jobs.

"We desperately need living-wage employment in this West Side neighborhood, and also the East Side of Buffalo, and really throughout the city," Bartley said. "As everybody knows, we were recently named the second poorest city, and everything we deal with as neighborhood residents is directly correlated to the lack of living-wage jobs in our neighborhoods."

The news conference was held in front of a deteriorating house at 376 Rhode Island St., a symbol of neglect in re-cent years. The house until earlier this month was one of nearly 1,500 blighted properties under the control of a state agency for the past four years. The house was returned to the city.

The Partnership for the Public Good has produced the "Principles for a Revitalized Buffalo" and issued another re-port, "Achieving a Greater Buffalo," with detailed ideas for transitioning Buffalo toward a "greener, more just, more vibrant future."

The Partnership for the Public Good helped plan and develop the two-day conference, "The High Road Runs Through the City: Advocating for Economic Justice at the Local Level," which is open to the public and begins today in the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.
e-mail: msommer@buffnews.com

LOAD-DATE: September 26, 2007