A Springfield City Council committee has finalized a plan to allocate the remainder of available federal ARPA funds.
The federal Pandemic Recovery Act allocated $40 million to Springfield. The city has allocated most of this summer. They set aside funds to deal with the homeless in order to receive more community suggestions for addressing the problem of homelessness.
At its October 11 meeting, the city council’s ARPA review committee voted to recommend allocating approximately $7 million in funds to support homeless services and affordable housing projects. A city council bill is being drafted for the city council to consider at his October 17 meeting.
Proposals to the Council include recommending $3 million for Ozark community partnerships to build purpose-driven day centers. Approximately $2.8 million to complement the previously approved federally funded His HOME Investment Partnership American Rescue Plan project. Allocating $2.2 million to create non-collective shelters. $650,000 for respite care services for the homeless; About $550,000 toward affordable home ownership.
This $2.8 million addition adds to the 3,805,703 in HOME-ARP funds previously approved by the City Council. The HOME-ARP program was created in 2021 to address the need for homeless assistance and support services. This program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is available to states and participating local governments.
“This will help address the top needs identified in the consultant report provided to the City Council,” said ARPA Commission Chair and City Councilman Matt Simpson in a statement.
The Ozarks Community Partnership has submitted a proposal for a purpose-driven day center. The Connecting Grounds has submitted a proposal for respite care services.
In a statement to newsreaders, Connecting Grounds pastor Christie Love said the city was “trying to address gaps in our service system and better equip our communities to support neighbors in need.” He said he was “grateful” for prioritizing “doing”.
“We believe that the combination of selected projects can have a positive impact on our community and take a step in the right direction to address the growing poverty and homelessness crisis in Springfield. “Our team is ready to begin work immediately on all six projects and this assignment will ensure that these expanded services are available as quickly as possible to those who need them during the cold season. .”
The committee also agreed to recommend the allocation of $150,000 to CASA’s clubhouse and foster children’s playground plans and $100,000 to recapitalize Lincoln Cemetery.
Approximately $2.75 million of city ARPA dollars will remain reserved for potential COVID-19 critical services until or unless these funds are reallocated by the City Council. The committee will meet at a later date.
Andrew Sullender is a local government reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow him on Twitter @andrewsullender. Email your tips and story ideas to asulender@gannett.com.
