READING, Pa. – State Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz announced in a Tuesday news release that eight projects in northwest Reading will receive a total of $1,776,291 in state funding to support affordable housing, childhood literacy, healthcare for the homeless and more.

The funding comes from the Neighborhood Assistance Program, a tax-credit program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The funding is meant to encourage businesses to invest in projects to improve distressed areas.

“I look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition,” said Cepeda-Freytiz, D-Berks. “And I continue to work to see funding like this come back to our district.”

The projects supported in this funding, as included in the news release, are:

• $594,000 to GoggleWorks Art Park to transform distressed space into safe green space with arts, food and education opportunities for residents and visitors.

• $459,000 to Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank to remediate a blighted historic building that houses the food bank’s community kitchen and Berks County Intermediate Unit Head Start classrooms.

• $178,750 to the Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading and Berks County to renovate their Blue Mountain Camp to expand safe, affordable, structured summer programming for low-income youth.

•$174,166 to the Habitat for Humanity of Berks County for the launch of a six-year plan to revitalize a distressed neighborhood, transforming 40 blighted buildings into affordable homes.

• $157,500 to the Reading Hospital Foundation for its Street Medicine program, which provides healthcare services, medication and referrals for the most vulnerable in Reading and Berks County, including the homeless community.

• $60,125 for United Way of Berks County to expand its Read Alliance program, which will increase reading and early literacy proficiency rates for children in Reading.

• $39,000 to Centro Hispano Hispanic Center for the purchase of 1%, 2%, and lactose-free milk for youth and seniors served by the Feeding Families program.

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