ARP: Partnering with Community Colleges to Prepare Workers for High-Demand Sectors

Problem

According to the Congressional Research Service, in general, persons with lower educational attainment experience relatively higher unemployment rates compared to peers with high levels of educational attainment. This population was also hit hardest during the pandemic with the highest rates of unemployment. Furthermore the report found that  persons identifying as Black or Hispanic and younger workers also experienced relatively high levels of unemployment and relatively steep declines in labor force participation over the course of the pandemic.

Solution

After a tech firm recently chose Phoenix as the location for a new semiconductor factory, Mayor Gallego partnered with community colleges to make it easier for residents to obtain degrees and training that prepare them for jobs at the plant and other high-demand sectors. The Rescue Plan is allowing Phoenix to offer monthly stipends of up to $1,000 to help residents who enroll in courses for high-demand industries, such as technology and health care. The funds can be used to offset costs such as books and child care. And Gallego is particularly focused on ensuring single parents are able to participate.

Missouri: St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones Released Plan of American Rescue Plan Funding to Improve Street Safety

Missouri: St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones released a new map outlining the timeline and breakdown of recently appropriated American Rescue Plan Act funding to improve street conditions and safety throughout the city. The roadmap utilized data to identify 10 hot-spot intersections and corridors in need of repavement and safety enhancements. Construction and improvements will be made over the next several years.

The City will spend $3.5 million to address intersections of interest. Much of this funding will repave and repaint around 32 miles of city streets.

American Rescue Plan: Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft Received Funding for First Wave of Support for Housing Projects

Nevada: Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft worked with the Board of Commissioners to approve new funding to get 3,000 affordable housing units up and running, adding to a multi-million dollar plan that includes federal HOME-ARP funding. The first round of new funding will support housing projects already in the pipeline while the second is expected to spur construction of new long-term rental housing. This will offer lower-income residents relief from housing costs.

American Rescue Plan: Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti Supports Small Business COVID Recovery

Pennsylvania: Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti allocated $660,000 of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to support small business recovery from the COVID pandemic as well as to increase wages, which will eventually be fully supported by the businesses themselves. Wages will be increased after analysis of the state averages per position and industry. “Our wage boost program helps people working in Scranton earn a more livable wage, necessitated by more than just the challenges of the past few years. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage belongs in the 20th century; we must keep pushing the state legislature to increase the minimum wage and model the theory that increased wages can stabilize operations in a tight labor market and even enhance a business’s bottom line,” added Cognetti. Applications for grants are ongoing.

Mayor Justin Bibb: Cleveland’s Infrastructure

Over the last several weeks, NewDEAL Leader Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has announced a series of impactful investments in his community seeking to expand broadband access and revitalize large sections of his city. This week, Bibb announced a public-private partnership that would bring internet access to an estimated 29,000 homes over the next 18 months. Last week, he announced a $21 million investment of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for a Waterfront Activation Fund that will support nine projects along the city’s shores, and, in April, he announced plans to devote more of the city’s federal aid to turn “thousands of acres” of brownfields into development-ready land. In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced infrastructure funds dedicated to the replacement of aging train and commuter rail cars. Read more about Mayor Bibb’s agenda here.

Mayor Justin Bibb: Utilizing ARPA Funding for Housing Projects

AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN – Ohio: Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb will deploy over $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for crucial housing projects. The city will invest $15 million to revitalize Cleveland’s southeast side through the creation of a revolving loan fund for home repairs, commercial corridor improvements, and large-scale redevelopments. Additionally, $5 million will go to Habitat for Humanity, enabling the non-profit to build 50 homes in areas with low homeownership. Those projects are key to a five-year $32.5 million investment to aid 400 households in the Greater Cleveland area with new home builds and repairs. 

Mayor Justin Bibb: Ohio Rescue and Transformation Plan

ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION: Ohio – Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has unveiled a series of substantial investments aimed at revitalizing the city and expanding broadband access as part of his Rescue and Transformation Plan. Bibb announced a public-private collaboration expected to bring internet access to an estimated 29,000 homes over the next 18 months. He also recently committed $21 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to a Waterfront Activation Fund, set to support nine projects along the city’s shores. In addition, he has pledged to allocate more of the city’s federal aid towards converting “thousands of acres” of brownfields into land ready for development.

ARP: Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Signs Bill to Improve Public Safety, Creating Office of Violence Prevention and Dedicating Nearly $14 Million ARP funds to Community, Youth Programming

Mayor Tishaura O. Jones signed Board Bill 65, a public safety bill aimed at improving public safety by establishing the Office of Violence Prevention and allocating nearly $13.6 million in American Rescue Plan funding to community violence prevention and youth programs. This initiative was highlighted in Mayor Jones’ April State of the City address.

 

The Office of Violence Prevention will function under the Department of Public Safety, coordinating resources across city departments and community violence intervention programs to enhance the safety of St. Louis neighborhoods. The office will also seek funding opportunities to extend programs beyond the ARPA funds’ expiration in 2026. Wilford Pinkney Jr., the Mayor’s Office Director of Children, Youth, and Families, will lead the Office of Violence Prevention. The Office of Violence Prevention is fully authorized and will be staffed up in the coming weeks and months.

 

Mayor Jones invested $5.5 million of ARP funds to invest in community organizations working to interrupt cycles of violence through prevention and intervention. In addition to providing employment services, housing, and mental health resources to individuals with justice system involvement, the city also invested in youth violence prevention programs. In July, the city announced funding to expand the work of Project Haki, an organization supporting youth through summer programs and creating safe community spaces.

ARP: St. Louis gives dozens of child care providers a total of $1.7M, with more on the way

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones recently spearheaded the distribution of American Rescue Plan funds to 56 childcare providers, offering an average reimbursement of $36,000 per provider. This initiative came on the heels of the city’s Board of Aldermen passing a bill last month that allocated an additional $2 million for childcare funding. The bill was part of a larger $52.2 million package, which also featured a widely-publicized $5 million guaranteed income program, providing 440 city households with $500 monthly payments over an 18-month period.

 

The primary objective of these funds is to bridge the gap “between the state childcare subsidy rate and the cost of licensed care for children under five years old,” spanning from January 2021 to December 2021. Mayor Jones expressed her enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, “This partnership between the Community Development Administration and Saint Louis MHB will support dozens of providers and improve access to the childcare working families need.”

Franklin County Board of Commissioners President John O’Grady announced $15.5 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding for affordable housing

HOUSING – Ohio: Franklin County Board of Commissioners President John O’Grady announced $15.5 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding for affordable housing in partnership with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Healthy Homes program. The funds will leverage resources from other partners and support 33 new construction projects to create more than 200 new affordable housing units.

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