Isaiah 61 Struggles Despite More Than $1 Million In Public Funding

Although the city, state and various charitable organizations have thrown over $1 million at the Isaiah 61 Project since its’ inception in 2012, little has been accomplished to date.

Isaiah 61 is a not for profit which receives local and state funding to rebuild rather than tear down vacant city houses that was launched with much fanfare four years ago. The one house rehabbed by organization workers, at 2215 Whitney Ave., is currently listed as “off the market.”

Niagara Falls Community Development received a $132,000 Western New York Regional Economic Development Council grant at the end of 2013 for Isaiah 61 to rehab a city owned fire hall at 3721 Highland Avenue. Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster threw in another $500,000 in casino money, and the project also received a federal Housing and Urban Development Block Grant of $50,000.

The building is supposed to become the North End Trades Training Facility and the headquarters for Isaiah 61 and its building materials storage facility.

But except for the fact that the windows are now covered with plywood, the old fire hall looks no different than it did when the city planned to develop it for Isaiah 61 nearly three years ago.

Community Development Director Seth Piccirillo told the city Council that asbestos abatement had to be completed and a roof needed to be reconstructed, but that work should be completed in four to five months. He said $168,872 has been spent on the project so far.

The troubled history of the Isaiah 61 Project in Niagara Falls would be comical but for the fact that so much money has been wasted on it. Piccirillo attempted to deflect criticism by saying that it really was a job training program first, and a building rescue program second. As a training program, it has been a success, Piccirillo claimed.

Last year, a single family home at 1338 Centre Ave. in Niagara Falls collapsed after a crew from Isaiah 61 removed the bearing walls, sources say. The house was the third home Isaiah 61 has worked on in the three years they have been getting city, state, and federal subsidies to renovate homes in Niagara Falls.

In 2014 the Reporter learned that Isaiah 61’s Hyde Park Blvd headquarters, store and school where they teach unemployed people building trades skills was condemned by the city because of code violations. City inspectors found that Isaiah 61 had electrical service for their store and school provided to them by using extension cords plugged into a building next door.

Also in 2014, Isaiah 61 founder and executive director James Haid quit the organization and moved to Utica for a position as director of the Utica Gospel Rescue Mission, a homeless shelter. Haid had either deliberately deceived Mayor Paul Dyster or that Dyster knew at the time he secured the $500,000 in funding from the Council for the fire hall project that Haid had planned to leave town, but that Dyster withheld that information from the council since Haid was Isaiah 61’s driving force and sole public face.

Despite Haid’s departure, Dyster kept the $500,000, along with another $132,000 grant, and said the project would continue. During Haid’s tenure the not for profit received grants from the New York State Power Authority ($157,000), Community Development ($70,000) and the John R. Oishei Foundation ($200,000). The $360,000 in federal, state, city and private grant money was used by Isaiah 61 to pay salaries and to rehab a single residential property.

Since Haid’s departure, Piccirillo has assumed the role of spokesman for the organization.