SOUTH BEND, Ind. — City leaders in South Bend have passed a plan to use American Rescue Plan money to revitalize many troubled neighborhoods throughout the city.
Mayor James Mueller outlined the budget proposal on Monday outside a newly renovated home in one of those neighborhoods.
“We’re talking ten times what we normally are able to do in next year’s budget for neighborhoods,” Mueller said. “This will help not just the southeast neighborhood, but neighborhoods across the city and on South Bend’s west-side.”
The plan calls for $25 million in ARP money to repairing, rebuilding, and re-imagining housing in South Bend. It will be invested in home repair as well as building new homes and creating opportunities for low-income housing.
Critics of the plan say that not enough money is being pushed towards the city’s west side, which is a predominantly black neighborhood.
“We have to ask for a better investment,” said Common Councilor Henry Davis, Jr. “We’re asking for a new culture here in South Bend that gives us an idea of what a real neighborhood looks like. “I think this is a great idea, but the bar has been set really low.”
After the vote to pass the plan Monday night, Davis issued another statement saying he’s “ashamed” of the vote.
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