By Li Hongmei
U.S. President Barack Obama today designated five economically struggling areas in the U.S. as "promise zones" that will get targeted federal help to develop housing, education and job training.
"We got to make sure this recovery, which is real, leaves nobody behind," Obama said in remarks at the White House. The president is focusing on aiding economically battered regions as part of the buildup for the economic themes that will be part of his State of the Union address on Jan. 28.
Obama proposes to use federal funding to concentrate on blighted areas to reduce crime, provide grants to boost housing in high-poverty neighborhoods and offer tax credits for the hiring unemployed people and tax write-offs for capital investments in such zones.
The zones, which Obama first proposed last year, were designated after local officials submitted plans to work with businesses, non-profit groups and educational institutions to expand job opportunities.
The first five areas to get the designation are in San Antonio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Southeastern Kentucky and the Chooctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Obama said he plans to name 20 more such zones in the next three years.