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IN THIS ISSUE
Did You Know?
Personal Finance Program: Helping you create a plan for your financial future.
Mental Health and Social Resilience
Latinx and immigrants find resilience, emotional support, and community connections with El Centro AMISTAD
A new approach to mental health services supported by ARPA Funds
ARPA News
Update on the $63.3 million ARPA Investments in Our Communities.
Economic Challenges
Advancement in the Economic Challenges category for Boulder County recovery projects.
Community Hub Update.
Boulder County ARPA Job Opportunities
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Ver Contentido en Español
For previously published newsletters, go to boco.org/ARPA or click on this Newsroom link.
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investments are making an impact in our Boulder County communities by providing resources to people who were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this newsletter, we will share examples of the ARPA-supported work that is underway. We invite you to visit https://www.boco.org/ARPA
for additional information.
Boulder County’s ARPA newsletter is now published bimonthly. You will now receive the ARPA publication every two months, which will still include articles, news, and stories to keep you informed about the investment of federal ARPA funds in our communities.
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Personal Finance Program: Helping you create a plan for your financial future
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Personal finances are one of those subjects you may want to avoid because either there is no history of family conversations around the subject or it is an emotional rollercoaster, all depending on the stage of the family's economics. In a survey from the American Psychological Association (APA), 36 percent of Americans are uncomfortable talking about this topic, and 18 percent say their families avoid it.
The burden of financial stress has effects on your health and planning for your future may seem like a very distant goal. A financial crisis impacts behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. To address money management, Boulder County offers the Personal Finance Program (PFP) for individuals looking for financial advice and guidance. "Our goal is to boost financial confidence and decision-making and expand knowledge so that people can make whatever choices they want to make,” said Meredith Caley, Boulder County Housing and Human Services’ Personal Finance Program Coordinator. “We want to help ensure they're able to make choices it in an informed way."
The program offers families of all economic levels free, private individual advice. PFP's purpose is to give people the right tools to understand the financial world beyond the numbers. "It's about recognizing the whole experience, not just saying you need the budget, because a lot of times it's so much bigger than that," said Caley. "We want to help you create an active plan matching your money goals and creating something positive because that leads to behavior change."
Boulder County Personal Finance Program counselors are skilled in helping people become more confident in their finances by sharing resources to empower Boulder County residents in everyday money management, saving strategies, financial goal setting, responding to mortgage concerns, credit and debt improvement, student loan debt options, and buying a home. PFP offers a language line for interpretation in multiple languages, and the program has Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking counselors as well. "We want to make sure people know the financial rules so they can be in control,” added Caley. “You are the client, and you have the power. And that is especially important for a lot of immigrants and first-time home buyers," added Caley.
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The program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)-approved housing counseling agency and a “partner agency”, which means they are a referral partner for many Boulder County community-based organizations like Our Center, Sister Carmen Community Center, domestic violence shelters, and food banks, among others.
"We partner with front-line agencies that help people become more stable, and we also provide financial coaching and guidance to help people reach their
next financial step," said Caley.
To ensure that families can at least meet their basic needs after the COVID-19-related economic crisis, partner organizations will refer people to a PFP financial coach.
As Caley shared, "We are partnering with the Colorado foreclosure hotline, so if anyone is feeling they're struggling with their next mortgage payment
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or if they're coming out of a pause or reduction in mortgage payments, we can talk about their options, and help them navigate the process.”
“Forbearance” plans for many struggling families have worked to temporarily suspend or reduce mortgage payments when unexpected events like COVID-19 decrease people’s income. While this financial relieve provided support to millions in the worst part of the pandemic, today many Americans are facing the end of this kind of mortgage help.
After the individual counseling session, PFP creates an action plan within the next 24 hours. Then counselors will check in to see how the plan is working for each family after about two months and then again after six months.
You can a book phone, video, or in-person appointment with a Personal Finance Program counselor at www.BoulderCountyPFP.org
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Latinx and immigrants find resilience, emotional support, and community connections with El Centro AMISTAD |
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For nonprofits, the courage to move forward and the desire to serve their communities are key elements that make the difference in achieving a truly positive impact for the people most in need. In Boulder County, El Centro AMISTAD is a champion for fostering relationships between the Latinx and Hispanic communities.
Since its foundation in 2001, El Centro AMISTAD has supported others by promoting equity and understanding how social changes may affect immigrants and their families.
In 2013, the nonprofit designed a model for equity, health, and well-being. "This framework gave us the opportunity to design programs and adapt them to the needs of immigrant communities," said Jorge De Santiago, Executive Director of El Centro AMISTAD.
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 "We started advocating for immigrants' civil rights and immigration reform, but during those years, logically, there wasn’t a political response to our requests."
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Those challenges only gave the organization more reasons to move forward, but they understood that even by starting small with a local movement in Boulder County, it would still benefit immigrant families. "We realized there was a lack of access to bilingual and bicultural mental health programs," said Elena Aranda, Program Director of El Centro AMISTAD. Then the program Compañeras was born. "As a Latina, I realized we are often isolated because of all the barriers we have,” added Aranda. “With Compañeras, we offer spaces where women feel seen, where we speak the same language, and where we feel safe without creating stigma by providing access to programs in a holistic way."
El Centro AMISTAD provides an emotionally safe environment by understanding the needs of the individuals attending its programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for mental health became more evident. It was then that Compañeras expanded their services to Compañeras de Apoyo, or Support Friends, with a network to help families who needed them the most. "We designed eight sessions so people could speak about their resilience and openly talk about their situation. We paired these counseling sessions with fun activities, for example, cooking classes, because even what you eat affects your emotional well-being," said Aranda.
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One unique element of El Centro AMISTAD is its commitment to preserving Latinx culture and promoting diversity in the community with these free programs and a support network. "Compañeras is the first step, but if we see the need for therapy, after the eight sessions, the work continues with mental health professionals offering from four to six free individual support sessions," explained De Santiago.
This model is replicated for all the rest of the services El Centro AMISTAD has to offer, including Promotoras de Salud to address healthcare disparities in Boulder County, ELLOS, a youth program geared toward Latinx youth in elementary, middle, and high schools, and parenting counseling services, among others.
For Centro AMISTAD, youth mental health is one of the most challenging subjects given the mental health crisis among children and teens.
"In the ‘Conversational Circles’, as we call our meetings, we intentionally talk about delicate subjects we see in the news," added De Santiago.
"We talk about suicide prevention, substance use, and trauma, especially after the pandemic. Sadly, the consensus is that Latinx young people feel excluded and scared."
Federal funding with resources from the American Rescue Plan Act is helping expand El Centro AMISTAD services.
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"With these resources, we can expand services for communities in need, which translates to hiring and training more people, increasing working hours for team members, and creating capacity for free programs and services. So far a total of 95 individuals have seen the benefit of these services." De Santiago said.
The organization offers cultural events and activities throughout the year to celebrate and share Latinx traditions with the wider community. In September, El Centro AMISTAD will host Cumbre, an annual gathering for Boulder County residents.
Those who wish to support the organization can volunteer, donate, or attend one of its many cultural events. As a community-based organization, El Centro AMISTAD relies heavily on community support to continue its vital work. You can visit www.elcentroamistad.org to learn more about their programs and the work they do with communities in need.
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Mental Health America (MHA), and the Substance use and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), among others, recognize, advocate for, and provide resources to address behavioral health wellness.
Boulder County joins this movement to raise awareness and update community members on how federal funds are being invested to expand existing services for mental health projects. "ARPA funds focused on mental health and social resilience are funds that are specifically allocated to programs that support community mental wellness,” said Marnie Huffman-Green, manager of the ARPA Mental Health and Social Resilience Project.
The following is the list of projects in the ARPA funding category of Mental Health and Social Resilience:
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Community Mobile Response Teams: These teams will lead a mobile crisis response that will
reduce unnecessary emergency department visits, inpatient hospitalizations and arrests of individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis in Boulder County.
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Equitable Access (Front Door Model) – Community-Based Grants: This is a grant program through which mental health-related community-based groups can expand their services or provide services
for free.
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Equitable Access (Front Door Model) – Mental Health Vouchers: This is a mental health voucher/reimbursement program helping members seek care, including alternative care, without worrying about financial burden.
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Equitable Access (Front Door Model) – School-Based Services: ARPA funds will expand and/or create innovative programs to provide more support for students experiencing behavioral and mental health struggles.
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Equitable Access (Front Door Model) – Community Trainings: These trainings will help reduce stigma and increase awareness surrounding mental health to effectively reach specific priority populations.
These community programs will provide an equitable access model to behavioral wellness projects to reduce stigma and increase awareness. "The programs will increase access to behavioral wellness supports for the community and this will allow community members to receive more holistic support at the not-for-profit agency where they feel most comfortable,” added Huffman-Green.
Mental health is one of the most pressing issues for Boulder County residents during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In a community engagement process and a county-wide survey to understand the impacts of COVID-19, many Boulder County parents expressed "deep concern for the mental health of their kids and the county’s youth at large." More information on the survey results can be found at https://www.boco.org/ARPA,
in the ARPA Final Report: A Community Driven Path Towards an Equitable Recovery.
Mental health challenges impact nearly every family and often reach a crisis level due to a lack of access to services or simply not understanding where to go for help," said Kathy Partridge, a member of Together Colorado in Boulder County and an activist for mental health equity. "Many people are reluctant to seek available help due to cultural barriers, past bad experiences, ungrounded shame, or fear of retaliation. Sometimes they don't even recognize that there is a mental health problem, or they seek bad advice, perhaps online. This is literally a matter of life and death."
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
To learn how to get support for mental health and drug and alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov.
To locate treatment facilities or providers, visit FindTreatment.gov or call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357).
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Mental Health Partners has listed a series of free events for Boulder County residents at Mental Health Awareness Month - Mental Health Partners (mhpcolorado.org)
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 Last April, Boulder County hosted a public briefing to provide updates on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investments in Boulder County communities.
County staff provided updates and highlights on the $63.3 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
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fund distribution, an overview of the community engagement process and participation, and detailed information about financial transactions.
It has been one year since the Boulder County Commissioners received recommendations from the ARPA Working Groups on the use of federal funds for an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the online meeting, county staff reported on progress for investments on Phase 2 projects in the categories of Economic Challenges, Housing affordability, and Mental Health and Social Resilience.
The meeting recording is available on the Boulder County Board of Commissioners’ YouTube channel.
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Survive and Thrive is one of the ARPA projects within the Economic Challenges priority area aiming to make funding available to nonprofit organizations and childcare providers in the form of grants for meaningful short- and long-term investments that will stabilize their business condition, workforce, and operations (Survive). These funds will come with the requirement that awarded nonprofits engage with a variety of entities that provide business support services (Thrive). “Currently Boulder County staff is working with a group of agencies in a process to decide how to use this federal funding, define priorities, design the application process, and make sure these funds will benefit as many people as possible,” said Rory Trujillo Thomes, ARPA Project Manager.
Working group participants are focusing their efforts on designing an equitable process to help communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Childcare services and non-profit organizations have been particularly affected by staff shortages. Last year, in December alone, childcare services lost 3,700 jobs, according to estimates provided by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. This happened as many centers couldn’t fill qualified staff roles, making it more difficult for parents to find affordable childcare options.
These working group sessions are helping to understand the status of the post-pandemic recovery process for childcare services. "We are learning, for example, that providers are still struggling with maintaining the teacher-to-child ratios. Although childcare personnel would love to access training resources for educators, providing additional coverage for a teacher is very difficult," added Thomes.
The team is working to post an interest sign-up form in both English and Spanish so that childcare providers and nonprofits can be on the notification list when the funding becomes available.
The ARPA Phase 2 of federal funding for pandemic recovery projects includes planned and ongoing programs for families and children, solutions to address housing affordability, and accessible programs for mental and behavioral health services, among other developments for creating a stronger, more equitable Boulder County.
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The Community Hub is an initiative aimed at streamlining access for community members to necessary health resources and providers.
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The idea of a centralized resource and referral hub came from a 2019 report illuminating some of the barriers residents face when attempting to access health care resources, particularly those having to do with behavioral health and
Boulder County Community Services to begin standing up this model in 2022.
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In October 2022, the Community Hub project hired two navigation coordinators to develop the policies, procedures, and standards needed to support referral and navigation to mental and behavioral health services for all Boulder County community members.
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In April, The Hub began testing this new service with internal County programs. Currently, Hub navigators are working with case managers in these county programs to better connect their clients to community-based services. This test period will help Community Hub staff better understand how to expand these referral and navigation services for all Boulder County residents as the project grows. So far, the project has helped 47 people find services with the help of case managers from these test programs. The most represented age group to receive Hub services has been youth under the age of 18, representing 22 of the 47 navigation recipients.
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The Hub’s staffing model continues to develop, with one additional navigator being hired in May and two additional roles joining the team in 2023. By summer 2023, the Hub team will begin strategic planning to grow this service for the full community. The Community Hub Team will be working with the ARPA Racial Equity Panel and communications teams to ensure our marketing, community engagement, and branding for this service are best suited to the needs of all Boulder County community members. |
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Boulder County is hiring for new positions in public service programs funded by ARPA. To learn more about these opportunities, visit the job link at Boulder County Careers. |
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