Boone County Commission releases list of ARPA money recipients; five applicants get $1 million or more
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Boone County Commission has released a list of recipients who have received ARPA funds, and five entities have received at least $1 million.
The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, passed in 2021 as a stimulus package during the COVID-19 pandemic. Boone County was awarded $15 million from the U.S. government.
The top-getters include the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture at $1.5 million, In2Action with $1.2 million, while Socket LLC, Love Columbia and The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri each received $1 million.
Love Columbia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people find secure housing. According to a press release from Love Columbia, the ARPA grant will fund the construction of a six-plex apartment building under the umbrella of Love Columbia’s Extra Mile Homes program.
These homes are transitional housing for families with children experiencing homelessness. "Our new six-plex will meet an urgent need in our community to respond to the number of families who have found themselves priced out of the housing market and need an opportunity to reset and regain stability,” Executive Director Jane Williams said in the release. “We are grateful for the County Commission’s commitment to provide resources for families impacted by our post-pandemic housing crisis.”
Since 2015 more than 50 families have transitioned into permanent housing through Love Columbia's Extra Mile program.
When ARPA applications opened up, the organization saw an opportunity to increase those numbers.
“So far, we have been really the lead agency in Columbia addressing housing for homeless families with our transitional housing program. And this was just a lovely way to advance that program,” Williams said.
Williams told ABC 17 News that helping families with children who were experiencing homelessness helped their application stand out.
“Columbia Public Schools reported 379 children identified as homeless at the end of the school year and they are sure it’s underreported," Williams said. "I mean it’s a big issue and I believe that really struck a chord with the county commissioners.”
Love Columbia hosted Commissioners for the official announcement Tuesday afternoon.
“The project makes a lot of sense and so we’re optimistic that not just by working with the parents but making sure that the kid's situation improves and stabilizes that this isn’t just impacting the current generation but the future generations will be impacted,” Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick said.
The Boone County Commission began reviewing ARPA applications in April. The deadline to file applications was March 31. The Commission said in April that it received more than 100 applications for funding totaling over $80 million in requests, which exceeded expectations.
Kendrick told ABC 17 News they did not have any stipulations for selecting applications other than those already laid out by the U.S Treasury and American Rescue Plan statute.
“One of the things we were certainly looking for was the capital side. Making sure it looked like the capital side was intact so we felt comfortable the project would move forward,” Kendrick said. “We wanted to make sure the operational funds were met as well so we’re optimistic that this can be sustained for future generations. What really stood out to us was obviously the project that is the transitional housing.”
Socket, an internet provider based in Columbia, announced in a Tuesday press release that it would be expanding its services to western Boone County. It also received about $2.5 million from state ARPA funds, according to a January press release from the state of Missouri.
A full list of the recipients can be viewed below.
