Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) reads papers in the hallway before a news conference on gay marriage on Capitol Hill on March 16, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images North America)
Faith-based organizations are the "heart and soul" of their communities, said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, but some Bronx groups voiced concerns that they may be too small to qualify for funds under a new jobs bill she is pushing through Congress.
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The community leaders met with Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) yesterday during a two-hour roundtable discussion at Bronx Christian Fellowship Church in Williamsbridge.
The junior senator's Urban Jobs Act of 2011 would funnel federal funds to nonprofit groups to provide job training services and programs for unemployed and formerly incarcerated youth. There would be an allocation of $20 million next year, with $10 million more tacked on each year after.
"When there are monies coming from Washington, the anxiety level decreases when the check is written to an established organization," said the Rev. Robert Smith, pastor at Church of the Savior in Co-op City.
Gillibrand said it would help if the groups were affiliated with a national organization.
She anticipates that the legislation will pass this fall under a larger jobs bill.
"If you don't have all our youth getting good jobs training, we're not giving this economy a chance to grow," Gillibrand said. "Every time a youth doesn't have the training they need, that's an entrepreneur or a doctor or a lawyer or an educator that is not reaching their potential."
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SOURCE: New York Daily News
