Arapahoe To Allocate $127.5 Million In American Rescue Plan Funds

LITTLETON, CO — Arapahoe County announced on Feb. 11 that it has begun distributing more than $127 million received in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal COVID-19 economic relief package.

This one-time payment of COVID-19 relief funds will be allocated over the next several years to applicable small businesses, nonprofits and other qualified people, a news release said. A portion of the money will also be used to address the county's pandemic-related fiscal problems.

After hosting more than a dozen "stakeholder outreach meetings," according to the news release, the county has thus far allocated the following amounts within these categories.

• Vulnerable Populations: $5,725,000
• Business Support: $12,806,500
• Homelessness/Housing: $20,000,000
• Mental Health: $8,572,060
• County Operations: $8,116,000
• Education: $11,000,000
• Physical Health: $1,590,000
• COVID-19 Response: $5,200,000

"Arapahoe County will be the responsible steward for these funds by allocating them where they’re needed most across the community," Arapahoe County board chair Nancy Jackson said in the news release. "We’ve already begun creating or expanding numerous programs and initiatives to address issues that fall outside of our normal budgetary limits and were exacerbated by COVID-related factors."

The $127.5 million that Arapahoe County received is a portion of the $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill which was signed into law in March 2021, according to the news release.

"While this money will not fully cover everything on the County’s economic and programmatic to-do list, the funds will help stabilize what has been a very uncertain situation over the past 20 months by helping us launch, continue and expand numerous initiatives across a variety of sectors," the news release said. "The County is currently reviewing initial allocations for consistency and will resume evaluating potential funding allocations in the coming weeks."