Rep. Beatty Secures Millions for Central Ohio Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Congresswoman and Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Joyce Beatty (OH-03) joined bipartisan colleagues in passing a historic omnibus appropriations agreement for Fiscal Year 2022. Included in the legislation was $5.285 million in funding for ten community projects located in Franklin County. This appropriations cycle marks the first time in over a decade that members of Congress have been able to provide direct investments within their districts.

"I am tremendously proud to have secured key federal dollars for community projects that will directly benefit the people of Ohio's 3rd District," said Beatty. "Over the past year, my office has worked closely with community stakeholders to determine where investment would be maximized across Franklin County, and today that work finally bears fruit. Over $5 million is set to go to the construction of shelters, healthcare facilities, cutting-edge medical research, and so much more. These funds are proof that Democrats don't just promise, we deliver."

Specifically, Beatty secured the investment of:

• $850,000 to YWCA Columbus for safety renovations and improvements to amenities at the emergency homeless shelter, which serves approximately 500 families annually.
• $750,000 to CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence, the only domestic violence shelter in Franklin County, to operate a new wing, adding 24 more beds and living space.
• $610,000 for Huckleberry House, Inc, in partnership with Star House and the Kaleidoscope Youth Center. to provide services to young people experiencing homelessness: safe respite from the streets, immediate access to basic needs, and connections to stabilizing resources, such as housing, physical and mental health care, employment, and supportive relationships.
• $500,000 to Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, Inc. to support the establishment of a new health center to provide health care services to low-income, underserved, and uninsured patients.
• $500,000 to the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital to support the purchase of next-generation sequencing equipment at the Institute for Genomic Medicine to accelerate the clinical and research capabilities by analyzing the genomes of patients with cancer, infections (including COVID), and other diseases.
• $500,000 to PAST Foundation to provide students in multiple school districts with an interdisciplinary, project-based summer experience that enables youth to take on the roles of STEM professionals as they close gaps in mathematics and English language arts. In addition, over 150 teachers will be trained to design and develop pathway-aligned curriculum, problem-based learning, and connections to STEM professionals.
• $500,000 to Franklin County for the planning, design, and construction of the Franklin County Mental Health and Addiction Crisis Center, which will support the wellness of adults in Franklin County experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, a crisis associated with their mental health and/or substance abuse disorder.
• $475,000 to The Ohio State University to establish the RAISE Institute focused on the interdisciplinary nature of scholarship on race, racial inequality, and social policy, with the ultimate goal to advance policies and approaches that will effectively support more socially equitable outcomes (in health, education, public safety, etc.) for people of all races.
• $450,000 to the Columbus Urban League for the redevelopment and alignment of office space to provide critical business support services and improve access to capital for Black and minority-owned companies in Central Ohio.
• $150,000 to Equitas Health to purchase a Mobile Outreach Vehicle (MOVe) to meet the needs of those who often do not or cannot seek out health services in an office setting, including telehealth visits, STI/HIV treatment and prevention, vaccine distribution and administration (including COVID-19 vaccinations), and linkage to care.

A complete list of Beatty's original requests, including signed financial disclosure statements, can be found here.

Other legislative priorities contained in the omnibus bill include:

• $13.6 billion in emergency funding for security and humanitarian needs for Ukraine;
• $10 million for grants to Historically Black Colleges and Universities;
• A $400 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award;
• Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA); and
• New cybersecurity protections to fight against vicious cyber-attacks to our infrastructure by Russia and other bad actors.