You are reading

House Passes AOC’s Funding Requests for Several Community Projects

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Twitter)

Aug. 2, 2021 By Allie Griffin

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 10 funding requests for community services — of which eight requests are for projects in Queens and two in the Bronx.

The House passed a bill late Thursday that includes an allocation for updating the obstetrical facilities at Elmhurst Hospital; additional funds to hire counselors at high schools; and more resources to expand several job training programs throughout her district. The Senate will vote on the bill this week.

The House bill included Ocasio-Cortez’s request for $3 million toward Elmhurst Hospital to renovate its obstetrical inpatient facilities. The money would fund the creation of private rooms for mothers giving birth and breastfeeding, which Elmhurst Hospital currently doesn’t have.

“It is imperative to provide equitable maternal care to the working class and immigrant communities surrounding Elmhurst hospital,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

She also requested $2 million, which was passed in the bill, for Chhaya Community Development Corporation, a Jackson Heights-based organization that provides housing assistance to residents primarily from the South Asian community. The money would help the nonprofit procure a bigger building for its headquarters and/or hire additional staff in order to serve more people.

The congresswoman requested $225,000 for Queens Community House, an organization that provides many services including offering alternative high schools for students who have either dropped out of school or fallen substantially behind in credits. The funds would be used by QCH to hire additional family support counselors to support students.

The House also passed Ocasio-Cortez’s request for $96,150 toward a local health center in Corona. Urban Health Plan – Plaza Del Sol Family Health Center would use the funds to expand and upgrade its telehealth technology to serve more patients.

The House approved two funding requests for Sunnyside Community Services as well.

Ocasio-Cortez requested $175,000 for the nonprofit’s home health aide training program, which helps unemployed and underemployed individuals, primarily immigrant women, break into the healthcare field.

Additionally, she requested $100,000 for Sunnyside Community Services to institute a college access program at the Woodside Houses community center. The funding would support 70 young people who are primarily low-income people of color, by offering the “Too Good for Violence” curriculum, which utilizes social learning theory to develop interpersonal, pro-social and peaceful behaviors facilitated by trained staff in order to build safer relationships and communities.

The House also approved Ocasio-Cortez’s request for $138,450 to restore two public waterfront platforms at Flushing Bay. The money would go to the Coastal Preservation Network, which would restore and stabilize the two public access platforms in College Point that are in dire need of repair.

Additionally, the House passed her $55,000 request for the expansion of a workforce development program at the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in Woodside. The program would help 250 people with job counseling and training.

In the Bronx, nearly $400,000 has been allocated toward a Stand Up to Violence program at New York City Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. Meanwhile, $795,000 would go toward a job training program in the emerging offshore wind industry at the SUNY New York Maritime College.

Ocasio-Cortez initially requested funding for the projects in May.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
Anonymous

The south asian community doesn’t need any help. They lie on their tax returns and many live off of welfare.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

Fresh Meadows MS-13 gang associate sentenced to nearly a half-century in prison for murder of Corona teen in Kissena Park: Feds

An MS-13 gang associate from Fresh Meadows was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Tuesday, Aug. 26, for the 2018 slaying of a Corona teenager in Flushing’s Kissena Park.

Juan Amaya-Ramirez, 27, and his co-defendant Oscar Flores-Mejia, 25, from Elmhurst, who is also an associate of the transnational criminal organization, pleaded guilty to the murder of 17-year-old Andy Peralta in Brooklyn federal court last September.

AG’s office launches investigation into death of man run over by police officer in Flushing Meadows Corona Park

The New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) has launched a probe into the death of a civilian on Saturday, Aug. 23, following a motor vehicle collision involving NYPD officers in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

At approximately 4:37 p.m., an NYPD officer from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst was driving westbound in a marked police cruiser, a 2015 Ford Taurus, at around 10 miles per hour in front of the Queens Theater on United Nations Avenue South, across from the Unisphere, when the vehicle ran over a man who was allegedly lying face up on the roadway prior to the collision, police said.