PRESIDENT CLINTON ANNOUNCES $2 MILLION TO HELP FIGHT DRUGS AND CRIME IN NEWARK PUBLIC HOUSING

NEWARK, NJ - President Clinton today announced a $2 million Department of Housing and Urban Development grant to combat illegal drug distribution and other drug-related crime in public housing in Newark, NJ.

The President was in Newark today as part of his two-day New Markets Initiative trip, and was also visiting Hartford, CT. The President will visit Hermitage, AR and Chicago as part of the trip on Friday. The trip is designed to focus public attention and spark increased business investment to jump-start the economies of communities left behind.

HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo said: "This grant will make Newark a safer place for law-abiding families and a more dangerous place for drug dealers and other criminals. It will help young people avoid drugs and crime, changing their lives for the better."

The grant comes from HUD's Public Housing Drug Elimination Program, which provides a range of drug abuse prevention and education programs to encourage residents to join together to fight crime, gangs and drugs in public and Indian housing developments and to foster a safer environment for youth.

Newark will use the HUD funds at Pennington Court, Hyatt Court, Terret Homes, Seth Boyden Terrace, Baxter Terrace, Stephen Crane Village, Felix Fuld, Stella Wright and Brandley Courts public housing developments.

The grant will be used to enhance law enforcement surveillance, security and resident programs to combat illegal drug trafficking and drug-related activities at public housing sites. New entrance doors equipped with intercom systems will be installed at all low-rise complexes over the next five years.

Major drug prevention strategies will include programs to help public housing residents get job training in computers and as emergency medical technicians, and programs to help residents who dropped out of high school get General Equivalency Diploma certificates.

In addition, Tutornet.com, Inc. - an online interactive tutoring service - announced it will donate tutoring services in math and science via the Internet for the remainder of the school year to 4th through 12th grade students living in one public housing development in Newark, to be designated in the near future. The training will help the students do better in school, and is designed to give them a positive alternative to drugs.

This partnership is part of a comprehensive effort on Tutornet's part to lessen the gap between students with access to technology and those without. There is normally a monthly service charge of $30 per student for the service.

The company announced it will also offer the free service to public housing residents who live at seven additional developments in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Content Archived: January 20, 2009