Lane County received over $74-million dollars in federal funds from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. Most of those “ARPA” funds have already been allocated to coronavirus recovery needs for housing, homelessness, and public health and safety.
Lane County Grants Analyst Alex Dreher said the county received over 1,800 responses to a February survey asking how additional ARPA grants should be prioritized. She told KLCC there was great interest in helping disproportionately impacted communities. “This includes affordable housing development, support for education assistance, early learning environments, and there was a special need for mental health services and the availability of behavioral health care for children and youth,” she said.
A scoring committee is reviewing applications for $3-million dollars in grants. Lane County Commissioners will hear their recommendations on August 23rd.
Lane County has about $5-million dollars of ARPA funds in reserve. Dreher says it’s been set aside for future needs as the virus becomes endemic. The money must be earmarked by December, 2024 and spent by December, 2026.
