Media Advisory: UB Students to Conduct Nov. 12 Census Blitz of Perry Street, First Ward Neighborhoods

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- University at Buffalo undergraduates will conduct a one-day house-to-house survey of the Commodore Perry neighborhood and part of the Old First Ward on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

They will ask residents to cite the health care and support services they think necessary to dramatically transform their neighborhoods into more healthy, vibrant communities.

The needs assessment is part of a planning initiative by the UB Center for Urban Studies and the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority in connection with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's "Choice Neighborhood" program.

The 30 to 35 student surveyors will be operating in the East Side neighborhood bounded by Sycamore Street on the north, Clinton Street on the south, Herman and Adams streets on the west and Smith Street on the east. They will also survey the area from Kentucky to Sidway Streets off Mackinaw Street in the Old First Ward.

Using data obtained through the survey, the UB Center and the BMHA will produce a redevelopment plans for the neighborhood in question and submit it to HUD for funding as part of a competitive process designed to help turn around these economically distressed areas.

This Social Issues Training and Education (SITE) Project is coordinated through the Center for Student Leadership and Civic Engagement, UB Division of Student Affairs.

On-site contacts: Henry Louis Taylor, director, UB Center for Urban Studies, 310-1648; Jeffery Kujawa, assistant director UB Center for Urban Studies, 228-7907