ARPA Case Study: Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones Creates Opportunities for Early Childhood Education

In an effort to address the urgent need for affordable childcare options, Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones established ambitious goals to ensure children enter school ready to learn and be successful. As part of the city’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, he prioritized initiatives to increase the availability of high quality early education, particularly for low-income children. To fulfill this strategy, the city is partnering with the Peake Childhood Center and Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC) to develop and operate a fully accredited and licensed early childhood center.

The new spots made available by the center will help alleviate the current crisis in childcare availability, underscored by Peake’s current waitlist of more than 400 children, by doubling its capacity to serve 200 children from infant to four years old with tuition determined on a sliding scale based on a family’s ability to pay.

The center is part of a mixed-use project that includes housing, commercial space, and an on-site early childhood
educator program and classroom space. The cost of the project will be covered almost exclusively by the city’s American
Rescue Plan Act funds.

Additionally, VPCC will train the next generation of childcare professionals through its onsite credentialing program, allowing VPCC students to train by working directly with children.

The Peake Early Childhood Center will ensure that families who struggle financially have access to a center that addresses early education for their children and supports the broader needs of individual families and the city. In addition to early education’s many immediate benefits to parents and long-term impacts on kids, research shows that a lack of childcare costs businesses $4.4 billion annually because parents/guardians must be absent from work to take care of their children.

The new facility is expected to open in the fall of 2024 and, as a result of the initial kickstart by ARPA, has leveraged additional private investments.

ARPA Case Study: Providence Mayor Brett Smiley Responds to Housing Demands with New Construction

Providence, like many communities across the country, is struggling to keep up with local demands for housing. While Providence has been disproportionately impacted by the state’s housing crisis, Mayor Brett Smiley has responded by investing American Rescue Plan Act dollars into emergency housing solutions and supporting housing development across all price points to meet residents’ needs.

Over the last year, under the leadership of Smiley, Providence has invested $4.3 million from ARPA to create or extend over 444 emergency shelter beds and is set to invest another $1.7 million in emergency housing support that is anticipated to benefit over 600 households. This is in addition to the ARPA funding that the city has invested in the Affordable Housing Trust that, all together, will create or preserve over 1,000 units of high-quality affordable housing projects across the city. Providence residents need both immediate support and long-term solutions to address the housing crisis, which is why Smiley has now established the Housing and Human Services Department to better coordinate and streamline the city’s ongoing investments and strategies.

ARPA Case Study: Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti Invests in City’s Recovery and Resilience after Flooding

In Scranton, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti has effectively deployed the American Rescue Plan Act to tackle the most pressing issues facing her community. From supporting small businesses and expanding childcare access to investing in community wellness programs, Cognetti has capitalized on the flexible use of ARPA funds to meet the varied and changing needs of her city.

Furthermore, after a strong storm in September, 2023 hammered parts of Keyser Valley and North Scranton, Cognetti quickly announced a flood relief fund leveraging ARPA dollars.

The new budget allocation provides up to $5,000 for eligible households and provides other support to nonprofit organizations and businesses recovering from flood damages. These Disaster Recovery grants can be used for costs related to property repair, appliance repair or replacement, debris removal, insurance deductibles, and moving. “By reallocating more than $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, we are providing some financial relief from the September storm and enacting long-term plans to prevent future flooding across the City,” said Gebhardt Cognetti.

Scranton’s original ARPA budget allocated $17 million in various stormwater management efforts, including funds to form a regional Stormwater Management Authority that would execute cooperative plans across municipalities to prepare for and prevent damage from events like September’s flash flood.

ARPA Case Study: Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb Enacts Innovative Initiative to Address Community Violence

Upon taking office, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb developed a Rescue & Transformation Plan outlining his priorities and plans to maximize the use of federal funds, including from ARPA, the Infrastructure Innovation and Jobs Act (IIJA), and other legislation. A central piece of the plan is the Center for Economic Recovery, a strategic policy team focused on guiding ideas for ARPA-funded projects that address the city’s most urgent challenges and long-term improvements to the everyday lives of Clevelanders. One of the ten priorities listed in the plan is Violence Prevention & Public Safety, with the goal of investing in proactive intervention and prevention to address the root causes of violence and crime.

Bibb used ARPA for seed funding to enact a pioneering initiative, the Neighborhood Safety Fund, aimed at combating violence in the city. The fund seeks to provide perpetual support for community-driven programs addressing violence’s root causes, spanning from education to mentorship.

“We can’t solve it alone here at City Hall,” said Bibb. “I believe this first-of-its-kind fund in the nation will really show, not just Cleveland, but the country how to come together as a collective of real support, real alignment, real data- driven collaboration of how to make the right investments in our neighborhoods.”

The endowment fund is expected to generate $13 million in grants over 25 years, with plans to disburse $1 million annually with two application cycles each year. An advisory committee, including city officials, community representatives, and City Council members, will oversee grant distribution, managed by the Cleveland Foundation.

ARPA Case Study: Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig Invests in Affordable and Supportive Housing Initiatives

In June 2022, Mayor Joyce Craig announced a call for affordable housing proposals to apply for $3.4 million in investments of federal recovery funds, including from ARPA. This effort built on the $2.7 million of federal HOME funds already used to develop or renovate 152 affordable housing units in the city, and in October 2023, prior to the end of her term, Craig approved $3.8 million of ARPA and HOME funds for affordable and supportive housing initiatives that will create 188 affordable units, re-open a women’s shelter, and continue an effective housing voucher program.

Projects were selected based on their potential to provide the various types of housing and services that residents need. In addition to new construction, the funding extends an ARPA-funded program to incentivize landlords to rent to tenants with Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, and a partnership with a local non-profit to re-open a women’s shelter for an additional 2-3 years.

“Housing is the number one issue facing our community, and we are once again taking action to ensure our residents have a safe and affordable place to live,” said Craig. “The City of Manchester is prioritizing the development of affordable housing for Manchester families and increasing shelter options for our most vulnerable community members. This latest investment will provide affordable housing and shelter for hundreds of residents.”

ARPA Case Study: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas’ Affordable Housing Trust Fund Funds New Construction

Mayor Quinton Lucas, allocated more than $15 million from the American Rescue Plan to address the dual issues of homelessness and affordable housing. An additional $12.5 million has been set aside to establish the City’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund for affordable housing development, paying special attention to the needs of vulnerable populations. According to the mayor’s office, the ARPA funding represents half of the city’s $25 million investment in the Housing Trust Fund, which will help the city serve hundreds of residents.

In 2023, Kansas City Council green-lit the second round of the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Board’s recommendations, allocating funds to 12 applicants dedicated to bolstering affordable housing options. The selected programs, once implemented, will realize 542 affordable housing units, serving specific demographics and needs in the community. Among these recipients are housing for veterans (55 homes), support for women in recovery from substance use (37 homes), and assistance for individuals grappling with homelessness and mental health challenges (47 homes). Additionally, plans include the establishment of a new navigation center and cottage community (38 homes) tailored to meet the unique housing needs of LGBTQ+ individuals. Furthermore, the initiative aims to safeguard the residences of 232 low-income households by preserving and rehabilitating an existing affordable housing community.

As a consequence of the infusion of ARPA funds, the Housing Trust Fund has awarded two rounds of funding to 26 projects, supporting nearly 1,000 units, including rehabilitation to provide units specifically for seniors and people with disabilities.

“Since becoming mayor, I have been proud to commit $75 million to Kansas City’s Housing Trust Fund, which already has created hundreds of affordable housing units—ensuring stable and dignified housing available to Kansas Citians in all zip codes,” said Lucas.

ARPA Case Study: Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird Paves the Way for New Water Source Project

The American Rescue Plan Act empowers local leaders to use the funds on initiatives they believe will have the greatest impact in their communities. This encompasses long-term projects that were previously sidelined due to resource limitations and competing interests. In coordination with state officials, Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird has had the opportunity to use ARPA funds to make tremendous progress on the “Water 2.0: Securing Lincoln’s Second Source” project, underscoring the need to begin planning now to ensure that the Lincoln Water System has the capacity to meet the demand of a growing city.

In 2023, Baird officially endorsed her Water Source Advisory Council’s formal recommendation to pursue a wellfield and treatment facility on the Missouri River with a direct transport line to Lincoln. This solution was identified after an extensive review of 14 possible solutions.

With $20 million allocated from ARPA by the state legislature, Lincoln is positioned to take the next steps to upgrading its existing infrastructure, enhancing capacity, and laying the groundwork for the transition to a new water system. At the same time, the city will finalize the planning and design to begin construction on the new project.

“This effort will be the largest and singularly most important public works project for Lincoln’s growth, health, and vitality into the future,” Baird said. “Identifying and securing a second source of water will strengthen our economic and environmental resilience for decades to come.”

ARPA Case Study: New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell Expands Access to Early Childhood Education

In late 2023, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, alongside city and state officials, celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony for the new NorthStar Early Learning Academy, scheduled to open in 2025, to provide more affordable and accessible early education services to over 130 children.

“The NorthStar’s new early childhood education center will offer lasting impacts on children and parents alike,” said Mitchell. “Not only will better access to childcare keep more parents in the workplace, but expanded early education programming will help more children be better prepared to start kindergarten.”

Originally conceived as a need in 2017, but unable to move forward without additional financial assistance, Mitchell infused the NorthStar project with $2.5 in ARPA funds to accelerate the projects and leverage additional funding from a mix of private and public entities. When completed, the new facility will also have a commercial kitchen to promote healthy food habits, and will be used as a community gathering place for meetings and other events on evenings and weekends.

Mitchell has made a concerted effort to invest in families and ensure they are able to participate in a local economy. In addition to other investments of ARPA funds to grow small businesses, this investment in early childhood education will help parents participate in the workforce and will benefit the long-term economic well-being, and social health of the community.

ARPA Case Study – Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego Closes the Digital Divide

During the height of the pandemic, Mayor Kate Gallego spearheaded a transformative initiative in Phoenix, expanding free Wi-Fi coverage outside of nearly 50 libraries, community, senior, and recreation centers to ensure all students had vital internet access. Today, this public service covers approximately 1.18 square miles (32,941,068 square feet) of exterior Wi-Fi coverage, allowing residents to connect their devices from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in parking lots and public areas adjacent to these facilities. 

Building on that work with a larger effort to close the digital divide in the city, Gallego, along with the City Council, allocated $3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to extend free Wi-Fi access to public and affordable housing communities for three years. This initiative is projected to benefit nearly 5,000 low-income households, offering not only internet connectivity but also invaluable digital skill trainings and broadband infrastructure. Initially targeting ten city-owned housing properties with the allocated funds, Gallego’s proactive leadership expanded the program to encompass an additional 27 affordable housing communities. 

Research by Common Sense underscores the size of the digital divide, impacting underserved households nationwide, including urban, suburban, rural, and tribal communities in Arizona. With 29% of students and 10% of teachers lacking adequate internet access in the state, Mayor Gallego’s efforts continue to tackle a critical need. 

This initiative stands as a shining example of efficient utilization of ARPA funds, combining free access with initiatives around digital skills training and broadband infrastructure for people who need it. Drawing parallels to the successful Free Apartment Wi-Fi initiative championed by EducationSuperhighway, this program echoes that effort’s simplicity in implementation for building owners while offering residents Wi-Fi similar to services found in hotels. With an expected reach of an additional 4,941 low-income households over three years, Mayor Gallego’s commitment to bridging the digital divide is poised to transform lives and communities across Phoenix.

Home Act/Rent Stabilization

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando authored the Housing Opportunity, Mobility, and Equity (HOME) Act that would protect tenants through rent stabilization, provide predictable housing costs, and help them stay in their homes over time, just like homeowners. The County Council approved renter regulations that balance the need to protect tenants with providing landlords with economic tools to maintain and build housing. Montgomery County is the first county in Maryland to establish permanent rent stabilization at a maximum cap of 6%.

The compromise bill that passed, Rent Stabilization, prevents rent gouging, reduces displacement, and creates cost predictability for tenants and landlords by:

 – Setting an annual rental increase allowance of CPI-U plus three percent, capped at a maximum of six percent;

 – Establish guidelines for fees and fee increases for regulated rental units;

 – Establishing provisions for the landlord to increase the rent above the cap and apply a surcharge for renovations; and

 – Defining a process for landlords to bank unused rental increase allowances.

Impact:

The bill is already having an impact, sending a clear message that the county cares for renters and believes they should have sustainable housing with predictable costs. 

As the bill goes into effect, the county will monitor its implementation to ensure that it balances the need to protect tenants with providing landlords with economic tools to maintain and build housing. A protection or right is also only as good as it is known by the public, particularly those most impacted, and the next steps will include raising awareness among tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities.

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