Camden named 'Promise Zone'

CAMDEN –

This struggling city was named a Promise Zone on Tuesday, giving Camden an edge in seeking federal funds and expertise for its turnaround efforts.

"We are elated," Mayor Dana Redd said at an upbeat press conference outside City Hall.

The Promise Zone program, launched last year by President Barack Obama, provides no immediate funding but helps selected high-poverty areas compete for federal aid. The program is intended to boost economic activity, reduce violent crime and upgrade standards of living, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"This program really does make a difference," said Holly Leicht, a regional administrator for HUD.

Among other benefits, Camden will get extra points when being scored for competitive grants. Five communities already in the program, including Philadelphia, have received more than $100 million in federal aid, Leicht said.

In addition, a federal staffer will help Camden officials navigate the 14 U.S. agencies involved in the program. Five Americorps staffers will be dispatched to assist the city's recovery efforts, Leicht added.

Camden was among eight low-income communities added to the program Tuesday. The newcomers were chosen from 123 applications in 36 states, including Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

HUD noted Camden, with about 77,000 residents, was designated the nation's poorest city in 2013. It has a poverty rate of 43.9 percent, an unemployment rate of 22.93 percent and the state's lowest-performing school district, the agency said.

The agency said all of the selected regions have developed plans to partner with local business and civic leaders.

U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-Camden, said the city's recovery effort is based on a "three-legged stool" — with public safety improvements expected from the Camden County Police Department, job gains from a state law that gives tax breaks to firms moving to Camden, and educational improvements from privately run Renaissance schools.

According to HUD, the mayor's office and a local nonprofit, the Center for Family Services, will be the program's primary partners. The Center for Family Services, which already has conducted an assessment of the city's needs, will help coordinate Camdent's turnaround efforts, said Richard Stagliano, the nonprofit's president.

Other partners include Campbell Soup Co., Cooper's Ferry Partnership, the city's school district and housing authority, and the county police.

HUD said Camden's plan includes continued revitalization efforts through a higher education and healthcare task force. It also features a Youth Justice Task Force "to provide interventions and supports in non-school settings for the most at-risk students."

Among other measures, the plan calls for efforts to reduce childhood obesity and hunger, in part by providing school gardens and nutrition education. And the city is expected to provide quality homes "by rehabilitating existing multifamily housing units with supportive services and demolishing vacant properties."

Other cities to be named Promise Zones Tuesday were Hartford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Sacramento and St. Louis. Also selected were the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and the Low Country region of South Carolina.

HUD noted Philadelphia's Promise Zone activities include a partnership with Drexel University to expand access to early learning, and a new entrepreneurship center to provide technical assistance on financing for new businesses.

Reach Jim Walsh at jwalsh@courierpostonline.com or (856) 486-2646. Tweet him @jimwalsh_cp