$5 Million for Bangor Region YMCA Secured by Senator Collins
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she secured $5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Bangor Region YMCA’s Comprehensive Health Center in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. Congress has passed the bill, and the President has signed it into law.
“The Bangor YMCA has long provided invaluable support and services to both local and surrounding communities,” said Senator Collins. “This funding will allow Bangor YMCA to reach additional families throughout Eastern Maine, providing important health and wellness care to those who need it most. As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I worked hard to secure this funding for the greater Bangor area.”
"A new Comprehensive Health Center will literally transform the lives and wellbeing of Mainers, from babies to older adults. It requires an enormous financial and emotional investment and Senator Collins has been the foundation of this support from the very beginning,” said Bangor YMCA CEO Diane Dickerson. “Our Y is now in its 156th year and we desperately need to build a new Y and health center in order to better serve the people of our communities now and for generations to come. Senator Collins understands this completely and has been at our side every step of the way. She is one of a kind and our entire region is grateful to her."
Founded in 1867, the Bangor YMCA serves more than 152,000 people throughout Eastern Maine. To better serve these communities, Bangor YMCA has partnered with local stakeholders to develop a plan for a new YMCA in downtown Bangor that includes a Comprehensive Health Center. This funding will support the establishment of a 30,000 square-foot Comprehensive Health Center, which is part of the new 80,000 square-foot regional Y. It will be equipped with programs ranging from infant, early education, and after-school care to food pantry and public health programs to address issues such as loneliness and isolation.
This funding is one of the 231 targeted investments Senator Collins secured through the FY2024 appropriations process, driving more than $577 million to Maine for projects throughout each of Maine’s 16 counties.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023. As Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championingtargeted investments that willbenefit Maine communities.
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