Arlington Schools, Health & Human Services Awarded Grants

ARLINGTON, MA — The Arlington Department of Planning and Community Development announced two new grants this week to support essential public services for income-eligible households affected by the pandemic.

The Arlington Public Schools received $68,226 in Community Development Block Grant funds to offer a no-cost tutoring program for more than 50 K-12 students from low- to moderate-income households.

Individual and small-group tutoring sessions will be provided online and in-school, as permitted by health guidelines. The program will begin in January and conclude at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.

The supplemental program will help students in navigating the non-traditional learning environment necessitated by the pandemic, particularly students who may have fallen behind, or further behind, during the initial school closure and ongoing remote and hybrid learning period. APS will notify eligible students about the application process.

Arlington Health & Human Services was awarded $60,200 to fund the establishment of a COVID-19 testing site for residents of Menotomy Manor and at properties that house seniors. The program is co-facilitated by HHS and the Arlington Housing Authority (AHA). Partnerships with Armstrong Ambulance and the Broad Institute are in place to provide testing and diagnostic services.

The testing program will allow HHS to focus efforts on determining who may be carrying the virus, isolate residents as necessary, quarantine contacts and provide resources and support to those families in need. AHA will notify tenants when testing dates are available.

"These programs are vital elements of Arlington's comprehensive response to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Jennifer Raitt, director of DPCD. "We are glad to partner with Town Departments, the Arlington Housing Authority, and community partners to provide essential social services that keep residents safe and meet community needs."

Questions regarding program details should be directed to HHS and APS, respectively. The funding for these grants is part of the same installment of funding from HUD that the
town recently programmed for the Arlington COVID-19 Business Resiliency Program.

For all other questions about CDBG programs, please contact Mallory Sullivan, Community Development Block Grant Administrator, at 781-316-3094 or mjsullivan@town.arlington.ma.us.