By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Rachel Seale
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, who represents Alabama’s seventh Congressional district, delivered $2.2 million in federal funding yesterday to improve Selma’s infrastructure, as well as expand the city’s mental health and substance abuse services.
According to a press release, Sewell gave Selma Mayor James Perkins and local officials a check for $1,666,279 to revitalize the city’s infrastructure during a press conference yesterday at City Hall.
The money will be used to improve the city’s roads and sidewalks within a 12-mile stretch in the downtown area.
In the same press release, Sewell said she has made it her mission to give back to the city she grew up in.
“I know what’s possible from this district with the right resources and opportunities,” Sewell said. “Projects like this help foster economic development and make our city a better place to live and work!”
The newly awarded money is part of a $13.1 million federal government funding package for projects in Sewell’s district. She received this funding at the beginning of the 2024 fiscal year.
Following the press conference, Sewell also made financial contributions to the city’s mental health and substance abuse services in observance of World Mental Health Day.
Sewell delivered a check for $600,000 to Rural Health Medical Program CEO Keshee Dozier-Smith. This funding will be used to expand current mental health and substance abuse services throughout the district, as well as fight mental health and the opioid crisis.
Sewell secured the funding for this project from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The money comes from a $240 million investment from the Biden-Harris administration to expand behavioral health services throughout rural communities in Alabama.
“We as lawmakers must do all that we can to ensure that our rural communities have access to the treatments and services they need to overcome mental health and substance use struggles,” Sewell said. “And that is exactly what this funding will do.”