REP LIEU SECURES NEARLY $1.4 MILLION FOR LOCAL PROJECTS IN VENICE APPROPRIATIONS BILL

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) announced that the nearly $1.4 million in federal funding he requested for two community projects in Venice has been included in the Fiscal Year 2023 appropriations bill that will be brought up for a vote in the House in the coming weeks. First, Congressman Lieu requested $500,000 to fully furnish and equip the Venice Family Clinic to ensure it can continue to provide high-quality care to its patients. Second, Rep. Lieu requested around $900,000 for the Purpose Lab Employment Project at the St. Joseph Center to help expand job training programs for those experiencing homelessness or at-risk of becoming homeless.

Last year, Congressman Lieu secured $2.6 million for health-related projects across Los Angeles County and $1 million for a workforce reentry and job training program.

"I'm pleased to request nearly $1.4 million for two local projects in Venice. Both the Venice Family Clinic and St. Joseph Center make a meaningful difference in our community. The Venice Family Clinic provides exceptional care to LA County residents – and this money will fund simple but necessary improvements to its facility. St. Joseph Center's mission is to provide working poor families and those experiencing homelessness with tools to succeed, including job training programs to put individuals on a path to success. I'm proud to use my voice is Congress to advocate for these impactful local programs and look forward to securing the funding, which is a top priority."

$500,000 for Furnishing and Equipping Rose Avenue Clinic: The goal of this project is to fully furnish and equip the Venice Family Clinic to ensure it can provide the high-quality comprehensive care upon which its patients depend. The improvements, including IT equipment and pharmacy and care team meeting room workstations, will accommodate the tremendous growth of Venice Family Clinic's scope of services, including the dramatic expansion of its behavioral health, substance use, optometry, health education, and case management programs. These areas have functioned with inadequate space for many years but will soon have the means to operate at their fullest potential.

$898,053 for Purpose Lab Employment Project: Workforce Development: The goal of the Purpose Lab Employment Project is to expand the successful job training and career development programs at St. Joseph Center, which serves people who are experiencing homelessness or those who are at risk of becoming homeless. Purpose Lab includes four innovative training programs: (1) Codetalk, a job training program for low income, homeless, and previously homeless women; (2) Fortifi LA, a web technology training program for extremely vulnerable populations, such as those recently released from prison and people with long histories of homelessness; (3) Bread & Roses Training Kitchen, a program that prepares low-income adults with histories of homelessness or incarceration to enter the food service industry as chefs, sous chefs, caterers, and managers of industrial kitchens; (4) KeySkills, an intensive, three-week career coaching course that provides support for vulnerable adults seeking employment.

Background:

Last year, in Fiscal Year 2022, Congressman Lieu secured nearly $11 million in federal funding for local projects in Los Angeles County. The projects address homelessness, protect our environment, support our veterans, and more. The Venice projects are among 15 community projects for which Congressman Lieu has requested funding in Fiscal Year 2023.

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