BY BY CAMERON McWHIRTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Federal housing officials have awarded Cincinnati $2.89 million this year to combat drugs in its public and subsidized housing, more than any other such grant in Ohio.
The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) will receive $1.89 million -- to be used for security at housing for the elderly, off-duty police, after-school programs and high school tutorial programs.
The authority has received the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) money every year since 1995. In 1994, the authority missed the application deadline by two hours.
CMHA says the money has played a major role in reducing crime at its larger projects. Comparing the first seven months of 1994 to the first seven months of 1998, violent crime on CMHA properties has dropped 44 percent, CMHA said in a press release.
CMHA Director Donald Troendle, who took over after the '94 grant application mix-up, said that last year the West End's Lincoln Court and Laurel Homes apartments had violent crime rates lower than the city average.
Another $748,000-plus of the Cincinnati grant will go to combat drug problems in assisted housing operated by private landlords. HUD is giving $250,000 to help fight drug problems in the Findlay Market area of Over-the-Rhine. Groups plan to expand community policing and install lighting and surveillance cameras.
Other cities getting grants include Lincoln Heights, $125,000, and Hamilton, $557,825. The top five state recipients were, in order of amount, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Akron and Canton. Nationwide, HUD awarded $305.2 million in drug elimination money this year.
