March 23, 2022
Nearly one year ago the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was enacted to help communities respond to and recover from the COVID-19 public health emergency and economic crisis. Now as Lake County recognizes this anniversary, the County continues work to review options and allocate nearly $136 million in federal funds received through the Act to address immediate and long-term needs that will improve lives and help the County become more resilient to future challenges.
The funds can be used for needs associated with public health, to counteract the negative economic impact, provide services to disproportionately affected communities, infrastructure improvements, provide premium pay, replace lost revenue and for other governmental uses.
The Board recently approved nearly $41 million in these federal pandemic recovery funds towards 16 projects that focus on affordable housing, homeless support, infrastructure, and needed technologies. This allocation followed months of review of numerous project ideas and other needs suggested by county departments and community organizations.
“The funding Lake County received is critical in providing the assistance our residents and small businesses need through the pandemic,” Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart said. “As we continue to analyze how to most effectively invest these funds, we will remain focused on long-term growth so our County is stronger and more resilient.”
ARPA funds dedicated to providing rental and food support have also allowed the County to work with governmental and community partners to address other critical needs. This includes providing $22.3 million for rental and utility assistance and providing 359,991 meals to residents in need.
“The funding enables us to successfully respond to the needs of our Lake County neighbors by hosting additional county-wide pop-up distribution events and providing much needed supplemental food items to our Lake County member agencies,” said Julie Yurko, executive director of the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
A Special Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery and Investments is actively working to assess and prioritize additional projects and programs. The money must be earmarked by the end of 2024 and spent by end of 2026.
"Our committee is working together, with a mission and purpose, and we are conducting our process in a deliberative and transparent manner," said Paul Frank, Chair of the Lake County Special Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery and Investments.
Learn more at lakecountyil.gov/ARPA.
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