NEWS RELEASE
BOULDER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
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Boulder County has published the 2023 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) annual report, detailing how the county will use the $63,359,749 in ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to help residents and businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The ARPA SLFRF provide urgent and targeted state and local funding for COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.
Since receiving this federal funding, Boulder County has accomplished several significant milestones, including the completion of some of it’s the projects identified to meet immediate needs when the pandemic was still in full force, as well as the allocation of all remaining ARPA funds to Boulder County's Phase 2 transformational projects detailed in the 2023 ARPA SLFRF report. The report is now available on the county's ARPA website.
“The American Rescue Plan Act was a lifeline for Boulder County during the pandemic,” said Commissioner Marta Loachamin. “This funding has helped us to support projects that will build affordable housing opportunities, keep people in their homes, support families, and keep our community moving forward. We have made significant progress in several areas, including education and the COVID learning loss, tax relief for small businesses, and public health services. I am grateful to the hard work and dedication of our community and all of our county partners for making these accomplishments possible."
“Boulder County has made great progress in advancing racial equity by centering race with projects that keep communities advancing toward equitable economic stabilization,” said Commissioner Claire Levy. “The funds outlined in this report are providing a path to strengthen social and financial infrastructure and provide access to much needed services for communities that have been historically underserved. With this report, the community can follow Boulder County’s decision process and community participation to see how we have ensured equitable and meaningful distribution of the ARPA funds.”
Economic Challenges, Housing Affordability, and Mental Health and Social Resilience were the most important post-pandemic recovery concerns identified by Boulder County residents, according to the 2021 Community Engagement outreach and survey. The 2023 Annual ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report describes ARPA fund investments to support programs that address those challenges identified by the Boulder County community, including:
- Housing Affordability: Affordable Housing Pipeline projects are planned to create or preserve more than 400 affordable housing units. Manufactured Housing Park Acquisition and Upgrades is assisting in home ownership and housing repairs for residents in mobile home parks.
- Economic Challenges: The county will provide grants to nonprofits and childcare providers for meaningful short- and long-term investments. The Direct Cash Assistance program, which will support low-income families with young children, is like universal basic income and has been shown to help create longer-term economic stability for families in need.
- Mental Health and Social Resilience: In collaboration with school partners and mental health-related community-based organizations, funds are being used to expand services and provide these services for free.
- Public Health: The county has used funding to support vaccination and testing efforts, as well as significant investments to provide mental health services.
The 2023 Annual ARPA Recovery Plan Performance Report is posted on the Boulder County ARPA website and includes the full list of projects. For more information and updates visit boco.org/arpa.
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