EVERETT — The county has spent nearly a third of its $160 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding it received in federal pandemic relief.
The money has gone to child care, food banks, small business support and elsewhere.
The county has designated another $20 million but has yet to spend it, county spokesperson Kelsey Nyland said in an email. Between Jan. 1 and June 30 of this year, the county spent $11.3 million.
All funds have to be “obligated,” or designated, by 2024 and spent by 2026, according to the U.S. Treasury.
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers has called the money “an unprecedented, one-time influx” that gives the county “an opportunity to catalyze systemic change” in sectors such as housing, childcare, workforce development and other essential services.
One local beneficiary was Housing Hope, an affordable housing and social services provider. Of $3 million the organization received, $1 million was for a new child care facility in Everett, Housing Hope CEO Donna Moulton said.
The current facility used to be a restaurant, and there isn’t enough space, Moulton said. The staff bathroom doubles as a storage space.
The building at 5910 Evergreen Way “can be really dicey” for children getting in and out of the car, Moulton said.
The new facility will be a five-minute drive from the current one. It’ll be around 30,000 square feet with 230 much-needed child care slots.
Housing Hope is still fundraising for the center estimated to cost $20 million. Moulton hopes it will open in late summer 2026.
Another nearly $3 million went to the Snohomish Food Bank Coalition.
All of the money went to food, Edmonds Food Bank Director Casey Davis said.
The coalition used the ARPA money to buy frozen chicken and beef, dairy products and fresh produce in bulk at lower prices, Davis said. Then food banks across the county divvied the food.
This allowed food banks to buy more food and serve more people: The coalition served 40,125 unique households in fiscal year 2022 and 57,083 households in fiscal year 2023.
“The economy continues to be challenging,” Davis said, noting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits haven’t kept pace with inflation.
The county also earmarked $2 million for Ventures, a nonprofit focused on entrepreneurship. Most of that money is for education programs, and $700,000 will go to existing businesses affected by COVID-19.
Ventures teaches business fundamentals courses in English and Spanish through Connect Casino Road. Ventures’ most recent student cohort included taco and tamale sellers, a flower shop owner, general contractors and a housecleaner looking to hire more staff.
The county has also invested millions in ARPA dollars in workforce programs.
Washington’s 39 counties received $1.5 billion from the stimulus package Congress passed in 2021. All counties received the first half of their money in spring 2021 and the remainder in the summer and fall of 2022.
Cities also have lots of ARPA money to spend. Everett has $20.7 million, $15.7 million of which was allocated to gun buyback programs, public bathrooms, temporary shelters, social workers, childcare and other programs.
Edmonds received $12 million, over a third of which went to green infrastructure.
Lake Stevens got $9.5 million, much of which went to stormwater projects, foodbanks and staff time.
And in Monroe, about a fifth of its $5.5 million ARPA fund went to local businesses, river projects and the Sky Valley Food Bank.
To date, the county has spent nearly a quarter-billion dollars in federal COVID relief dollars, including ARPA and funds from Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security, or CARES. The vast majority of money — nearly $200 million — went to housing and behavioral health. The county estimates there are 691 “unsheltered individuals” in the county, up from 584 last year.
Surya Hendry: 425-339-3104; surya.hendry@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @suryahendryy.
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