The Independent 9
February 17, 2022
RESCUE PLAN FROM PAGE 1
across the community,” said Nancy Jackson, the chair of Arapahoe County’s elected leaders, the board of county commissioners. “We’ve already begun creating or expanding numerous programs and initiatives to address issues that fall outside of our normal budgetary limits and were exacerbated by COVID-related factors,” Jackson continued. Where dollars will go The county will distribute its $127.5 million allotment over the next several years, according to the release. The federal funding presents an opportunity to assist the county’s post-pandemic economic recovery in multiple areas and for a wide variety of community entities, including small businesses and nonprofits, as well as industries that were disproportionately affected by COVID, the release said. The county commissioners held 14 outreach meetings to understand community needs and to solicit funding proposals, according to the release. The initial funding plans focus on the people — particularly vulnerable populations — and economic sectors that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, in categories that include (with total amounts allocated to date): • Business Support: $12,806,500 • Homelessness and housing: $20,000,000
• Mental health: $8,572,060 • County operations: $8,116,000 • Education: $11,000,000 • Physical health: $1,590,000 • COVID response: $5,200,000 • Vulnerable populations: $5,725,000 For example, the county could provide $1 million to an initiative called “Ready to Work—West Side,” a potential effort to connect people experiencing homelessness with employment and housing, according to the county’s website. Ready to Work is an established program with successful locations in Aurora and Boulder, according to the county. The funding provided by Arapahoe County could be leveraged with local partners — the “Tri-Cities” coalition of Englewood, Sheridan and Littleton — to support the development of the program in the western part of the county, the website says. Last year, leaders in Englewood, Littleton and Sheridan approved what they called a Tri-Cities Homeless Action Plan, designed to be carried out over the next three years. Among the recommendations in the plan is to create “a central navigation center” — a dedicated space to help people experiencing homelessness learn about services and apply for programs, such as available housing services, the plan says. As another example of Arapahoe’s spending plans, the county could provide $300,000 to the planned Tri-Cities Navigation Center, according to the county’s website. Again, the potential funding pro-
Cities and counties statewide are starting to debate and decide what to do with the SHUTTERSTOCK millions of dollars provided through the federal American Rescue Plan.
vided by the county would be leveraged with the “Tri-Cities” group to support the development of the program, and the county could also provide additional staffing support for the center, using existing resources and staff members, according to the website. For more information about specific projects and the funding approval process, the public can visit arapahoegov.com/ARPA. Click on one of the links in the list for more details. Other ins and outs of funding The initial rollout of the county’s plans for the federal funds will help jumpstart some community partners’ projects and programs, the release said. “In many cases, the funds the board has tentatively allocated to these initiatives will cover only some of their costs, so these partners can now leverage our commit-
ment to help raise whatever additional funds they need,” the county said in the release. Over the last few months, the board has held “study session” meetings to review funding recommendations and make allocations, some of which are tentative subject to additional details and finalized federal regulations, according to the release. “The funds will help stabilize what has been a very uncertain situation over the past 20 months by helping us launch, continue and expand numerous initiatives across a variety of sectors,” the county said in the release. The federal legislation outlined that these one-time funds should be incurred before Dec. 31, 2024, and expended or completed by Dec. 31, 2026. Individual communities within the county have also received their own federal allotments, according to the release.
VIEWS
In 2022 the Littleton Independent will celebrate 134 years in publication. Last year, we became part of the Colorado News Conservancy in a groundbreaking national effort to ensure that newspapers like ours will serve communities like Littleton for decades to come. This survey, done with the support of a local foundation, will help us know how we can best serve you. Fill out the survey here: https://bit.ly/LittletonSurvey By Feb. 28, share what is important to you, what you’d like to see in your newspaper, and your ideas about how we can best serve the community. And we’re always happy to get any story ideas you may have! We’re grateful to have the support of readers like you – thank you for your time and your dedication into keeping Littleton – and the Independent – strong! Linda Shapley, publisher
