Commissioners Approve $99 Million in ARPA Funds for Local Projects

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners has approved funding for 75 local projects with money allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, or ARPA.

Funds will be used for a wide variety of projects that address:

Affordable Housing and Homelessness: $39.3 million for 20 projects including resources for efforts to mitigate gentrification, senior housing, and workforce housing.
Behavioral Health and Health Equity: $34.2 million for 27 projects including resources for food support services, medical and mental health services, and psychiatric care for adolescents.
Childcare and Early Childhood Development: $7 million for 11 projects including resources to expand access to childcare, after school care and summer camp programs.
Parks, Environment and Infrastructure: $7.7 million for 4 projects including resources to enhance land and water quality, improve existing air quality, and create accessible playgrounds.
Workforce and Economic Development: $11 million for 13 projects including resources to increase access to training and employment opportunities, vocational readiness, and mentoring programs for young adults.

Projects approved by the Board are:

Affordable Housing and Homelessness
CrossRoads Corp. for Affordable Housing & Comm. Dev. Inc., $144,900
Town of Davidson, Comprehensive Housing Affordability Program, $1,000,000
Dominium, Creekridge On The Park, $5,000,000
DreamKey Partners, Johnston Oehler Seniors, $2,750,000
DreamKey Partners, Easter's Home at Caldwell, $2,500,000
Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region, Hope Springs Infrastructure, $1,737,249
Laurel Street Residential, LLC, Mount Moriah Seniors, $6,000,000
NHP Foundation, LaSalle at Lincoln Heights, $1,100,000
Urban Trends Real Estate Inc., Lakeview Apartments, $1,600,000
West Side CLT, West Side Community Land Trust, $650,000
Department of Community Support Services, Coordinated Entry Expansion, $612,349
Department of Criminal Justice Services, Vendor Housing Expansion, $1,458,287
Freedom Fighting Missionaries Inc., Second Chance Homeless to Housing, $1,250,000
Coalicion Latinoamericana, Multisector Response Network for Humanitarian Relief, $2,000,000
County Manager's Office, West Charlotte Homes, $6,000,000
Matthews Help Center, $350,000
Salvation Army, Expansion of Center of Hope Shelter, $3,156,389
Pineville Neighbors Place, Better at Home, Part 2, $2 300,000
Roof Above, Expansion and Enhancement of Day Services Center, $710,000
Veterans Bridge Home, Mecklenburg County American Rescue Plan Act ‐ VBH Housing Sustainability Program, $1,013,200

Behavioral Health and Health Equity
Hope Haven Inc., Increasing Access to Services for Substance Use Disorder for Underserved Populations, $604,167
HopeWay, Mental Health Equity: Providing Evidence Based Psychiatric Care in Community Clinics, $800,000
On Eagles Wings, OEW ARPA Safe House with comprehensive services, $865,400
Pat's Place Child Advocacy Center, Improving Outcomes for High-Risk Youth, $437,865
ProCure Therapeutic Agency, Inc., Expanding Access to Community‐Based Mental and Behavioral Health
Services, $1,500,000
Services, $1,500,000
Safe House Project, Equitable Access to Services for Survivors of Human Trafficking, $503,439
Time Out Youth, Protecting the Mental Health of LGBTQ Youth in Mecklenburg County, $315,000
UMAR, Van Replacement, $283,161
Ada Jenkins Families and Careers Development Center, Sustaining a Healthy Lifestyle, $363,746
The Bulb Gallery, Promoting Equity in Locally Grown Foods, $919,432
Carolina Farm Trust, Local Foods Production and Distribution Center, $3,000,000
Hearts and Hands Food Pantry, Food Security Initiative, $666,700
LMC Children Services, Meals On‐The‐Go, $423,294
Loaves and Fishes, NourishMeck‐A Hunger Hub for Hope, $2,000,000
County Manager's Office, West Blvd Food Cooperative, $250,000
Department of Social Services, Food Insecurity, $989,000
C. W. Williams Community Health Center, Inc. (CWWCHC), $2,052,195
Camino Community Development Corporation, Inc., Access to Bilingual Dental Care, $4,683,215
Charlotte Community Health Clinic, Inc., $3,810,415
Charlotte Transgender Healthcare Group, Providing Access to Trans Health (PATH), $1,168,502
Department of Community Support Services, Multi‐Interdisciplinary Outreach Team, $650,000
Johnson C. Smith University, Community Outreach‐Black Birthing Professions, $943,000
Department of Public Health, The Way Forward Community Violence Prevention Plan Implementation, $3,260,500
Department of Public Health, Pediatric Dental Clinic, $1,453,904
Department of Public Health, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Services, $845,772
Village HeartBeat, Inc., $750,000
Vision To Learn, Eye Exams and Prescription Glasses Provided Aboard New Mobile Vision Clinic, $708,114

Childcare and Early Childhood Development
Castle’s Daycare Academy, $450,000
Center For Community Transitions, Families Doing Time, $300,000
Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, Early Learning Center, $3,000,000
Freedom School Partners, 2023‐2024 Freedom School Summer Program, $260,000
Greater Enrichment Program, Transportation, $130,000
Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Youth Academic Enrichment Program, $415,000
POP's Passion, $400,000
Save Our Children Movement Inc., KEFA Tutoring and Mentoring Academy, $782,320
Department of Social Services Early Childhood System Building, $706,000
StriveCLT, Strive to Thrive, $325,536
YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Parents as Teachers, $250,000

Parks, Environment and Infrastructure
Town of Davidson, Baccalaureate School Gymnasium Renovation, $2,000,000
Land Use and Environmental Services Agency, Irwin Creek Stream Enhancement Project at the Old City Landfill, $2,350,000
Land Use and Environmental Services Agency, Ambient Air Monitoring Program, $420,000
Department of Park and Recreation, Inclusive and Accessible Playgrounds with Path of Travel, $2,960,000

Workforce and Economic Development
Academy of Goal Achievers, Goal Achievers Mentor Program, $443,925
Angels and Sparrows Community Table and Resource Center, Pathway Program Enhancements, $395,055
Cakeable Charlotte, Inc., Cakeable Vocational Training and Café, $810,500
Charlotte Is Creative, Creative Entrepreneurs Initiative, $384,750
Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce, Healthcare Workforce Development, $600,000
Mecklenburg County Emergency Medical Services, $1,200,000
Latin American Chamber of Commerce of Charlotte, $1,500,000
Per Scholas, IT Training, $400,000
Public Library, Digital Divide, $2,917,635
The ROC Charlotte, Inc., $900,000
She Built This City, Workforce Development, $540,413
Smart Girls HQ LLC., Smart Girls Squad STEM Program, $435,800
Department of Public Information, Marketing of ARPA Spending, $500,000

View the County Manager’s full presentation to the Board.

All projects were vetted after Mecklenburg County received applications during the fall of 2022 for Round Two of funding from American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Round One of funding from ARPA was announced in March 2022, resulting in 36 local projects recommended to receive $59.4 million.

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

ARPA provides relief funds to eligible state, local and tribal governments that have been negatively affected by the coronavirus. The purpose of the funding is to support communities hardest hit by COVID-19. Mecklenburg County received its second round of funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury in 2022 and began receiving applications from eligible organizations. The minimum amount for which an applicant could request is $250,000 and Round One recipients were eligible to submit a second application.

In 2021, the Treasury Department allocated $215 million in ARPA funds to Mecklenburg County. The County conducted a community survey to gather feedback from residents to help identify funding priorities. The results of the survey were used to inform the investment strategy for ARPA funding. The Board of County Commissioners' approval of the County Manager’s recommendation results in the entire $215 million being allocated to local organizations and projects. Recipients have until Dec. 31, 2024, to spend the funds.