BUFFALO, N.Y. -- When the governor visits Western New York, he typically likes to talk numbers, but during a stop Thursday at a community center on Buffalo's East Side, the statistics Gov. Cuomo quoted weren't as rosy as usual.
Cuomo said the neighborhood has roughly twice the unemployment rate and depopulation rate as the rest of the city and a nearly 40 percent poverty rate.
"In the midst of all this success, are we really a success when you have part of the city, part of the family of Buffalo, who still isn't sharing in that success?" Cuomo (D-NY) said.
The original Buffalo Billion had some focus on the East Side with projects like the Northland Corridor and the Western New York Workforce Training Center. The governor said more needs to be done and Thursday his administration announced a neighborhood stabilization plan with funding from the Buffalo Billion Part II.
"$10 million will go far. It's not a be all and end all and we'll do more and we are doing more, but $10 million is still a lot of money," said Cuomo.
The initiative focuses on the East Side and the neighboring Town of Cheektowaga. Its first phase includes $1.4 million for new homeownership opportunities.
"The city has about 28 properties on the East Side that they are seeking to rehab to new homeowners and with state funding, they believe the first homes could be ready for occupancy this fall," Empire State Development President Howard Zemsky said.
There's also $2 million to help low-income families make the kind of repairs and renovations to their homes needed to avoid foreclosure and another million to prevent so-called zombie properties.
"The Buffalo Billion jumpstarts the economy but then General Motors comes in, then Geico comes in, the Sumitomo Tire comes in, right? And it's the private sector companies that actually do the growth," Cuomo said. "Same is true with housing."
The governor said the state is looking at a comprehensive community development plan which includes addressing issues like jobs, crime and health care, but it starts with making sure people have a place to live they can take pride in.