American Rescue Plan Advisory (ARPA) Committee

Purpose

The City of Grand Junction was allocated $10.4 million in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) by the U.S. Treasury, as established in the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). These funds are intended to provide support for states, counties and local governments in response to the economic and public health impacts of COVID-19 alongside efforts to contain impacts to communities, residents, and businesses. Treasury has determined Grand Junction’s portion of these funds to be approximately $10.4 million. The allowable uses of these funds are broad, as determined by the legislation and guidance from the U.S. Treasury. They include: 

• Replacement of Public Sector Revenue Loss
• Support for the Public Health Response 
• Address Negative Economic Impacts
• Premium Pay for Essential Workers
• Water, Sewer, and Broadband Infrastructure

Within each of these broad categories, Treasury has outlined a non-exhaustive list of potential eligible spending uses designed to grant wide flexibility for each individual community’s needs. 

A portion of the $10.4 million was allocated to offset loss in the lodging industry to include $1.4 million directed to Visit Grand Junction, Air Alliance and the Sports Commission. To address the allocation of the remaining $9 million, City Council created the American Rescue Plan Advisory (ARPA) Committee to provide input on potential uses of the funds. The City solicited applications for this committee and selections were made by City Council.

Following meetings held over the past few months, the American Rescue Plan Advisory Committee has determined that the funds should be directed to the policy areas of housing, homelessness, and mental/behavioral health. The application process for letters of interest closed on Monday, August 15, 2022.

Eligible projects for consideration include:

• Housing: Programs and/or services intended to increase affordable housing for low-income persons/households. Low-income households are defined as individuals and families at or below 80% of the Mesa County Area Median Income (AMI). Programs, services, or projects may include land-banking, community land trusts, affordable housing acquisition, preservation, rehabilitation, or development.
• Homelessness: Programs and/or services intended to address homelessness in the community and/or provide services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness (abbreviated as experiencing homelessness or PEH). PEH includes people who are temporarily unsheltered, residing in encampments or shelters, or chronically homeless. Services and programs may include crisis response, recovery support, employment services or projects that enhance existing service capacity. Proposals may also include the creation of new programs that mitigate homelessness in the community or provide resources and services to those experiencing homelessness. 
• Mental/Behavioral Health: Programs and/or services intended to help individuals experiencing mental health issues, substance abuse disorders and/or related challenges. Programs and/or services may include counseling, treatment, recovery, intervention, or other support services. Proposals for programs and/or services should address gaps in service availability, increase capacity in existing programs or develop new programs and services.