SUMTER, S.C. — Sumter city officials are asking the public for input on how to spend community development grant money.
For the past 30 years, the Sumter Community Development Department has received this funding to help provide services for lower-income families and to pay for community projects. These include sewer improvement, housing rehabilitation, and youth programs.
This year, they were awarded $368,392, about half the $668,000 they used to get back in 1994.
Sumter Community Development Director Clarence Gaines says he wants to continue to invest in young people.
“The big thing is kids, HUD [Housing and Urban Development] allocates 15% of my allocation," he said. "We give the YMCA funds, about $2,500 and that goes towards low-income kids for programs in the summer and they give them vouchers.”
Residents like Maurice Benbow believe some of that money should be spent to help those less fortunate.
“Do more homeless shelters and stuff because there is a lot of homeless people here in Sumter and then with there being a lot of people, being in Sumter, a lot of them hang around the restaurants and stuff like that," he said.
Others like Marshall Jacobs said they want to see more done for the youth.
“I would like to see for the youth in this county and surrounding counties is like somewhere for them to have a place to go to like a center for them just for the youth to learn different things and keep them out of trouble," said Marshall Jacobs.
However, Gaines said he expects more work to be done, is looking for more input from the public, and is confident there will be a packed house at the next community members’ meeting next week.
“Everybody in different sections wants different things and I need the public input so I can let the councilmen know this is what they want, and like I said they make the final decisions.”
That meeting on the grant money will be held next Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. at the South Sumter Resource Center.