Bush on Wednesday visited three organizations set to benefit from the money and encouraged staff to continue their work.
“Each of the organizations we visited today are dedicated to improving the lives of the people in our communities that have been underserved, under-resourced, underfunded for too long,” Bush said. “These are the type of organizations that we must support if we want to build a St. Louis where everyone can live a joyous and prosperous life.”
The Wellston Loop project has been in the works for seven years, Shegog said, but organizers had a short window of time to gather everything they needed for the Community Project Funding application.
Bush took a tour of Mildred’s Caza de Paz in the city of Pine Lawn, where nonprofit Pot Bangerz purchased an old house and renovated it so that homeless women, particularly gay or transgender women, can have a transitional place to stay and get job training. Pot Bangerz will receive $165,300 for Casa de Paz if the appropriations bill passes.
“Black trans women are not allowed to go into conventional shelter space,” explained Cathy “Mama Cat” Daniels, founder of Pot Bangerz. “They have to go into a men’s shelter, but they’re women. We want them to go into a space where they feel safe and warm.”
Bush also is seeking $15.5 million for four infrastructure projects in her district, including $10 million for improvements to a 1.6-mile stretch of West Florissant Avenue in Dellwood, Ferguson and Jennings. The project includes sidewalks, crosswalks, bus stop improvements and bike lanes. About 8.2 percent of residents in the area don’t have access to a vehicle to commute to work, and about 14 percent commutes by bus.