This article is the first in an initiative with Understanding Government, a Washington D.C. based nonprofit, called “Government In My Backyard”(GIMBY). Through this initiative Understanding Government will post reports on federal, state, and local executive branch performance in towns and cities across the U.S.  The Newburgh Advocate will contribute posts on the greater Newburgh, NY area.

Newburgh Ministry, a community center/hospitality house, has received a $1.8M grant from the Homeless Housing Assistance Corporation, a NY State Agency.  The grant will be used for capital improvement, rehabilitating their building at 9 Johnston Street and making it ADA compliant.

In 2005, Newburgh Ministry began operating an all night drop-in shelter, but without cots or beds guests would sleep on chairs or the floor.  The HHAC grant will provide 19 beds for men and women.

The Newburgh Ministry was founded in 1983 by five women from different religious orders.  They purchased the 9 Johnston Street location in 1990.

Thanks to the HHAC grant, the shelter will operate 365 days a year, according to Jim McElhinney, the Ministry’s coordinator.  “The state wants to make sure that we do that, since so much of the funding is for capital improvement – they will require that from us.  They’re making sure their investment is worth it.

One of the things you learn doing this, is that there are a lot of hoops to jump through, and the hoops can be sort of annoying when you’re jumping through them, but you realize that as a taxpayer, they’re there because, if not, somebody would be walking off with $1.8M.  And I’m sure the reason that they do it is because it has happened in the past.  So that’s heartening in a way, that the state is being a good guardian.

They hope to begin construction in the spring of 2009.