Multiple organizations around Johnstown are set to receive a portion of $3.8 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Officials say the Johnstown community is still struggling since the pandemic and this grant funding should be able to help bring back a sense of normalcy.
“This began back in March of 2021 when the American Rescue Plan Act, ARPA, was passed by Congress and signed into law by the president.”
The Johnstown City Council met at city hall Thursday afternoon and announced the winners of the American Rescue Plan grant funding.
“We received a total of thirty-eight applications for grant funding.”
“To provide not only relief funding to area nonprofits, but also money for programs that would offset the ill effects of the pandemic.”
Officials say before deciding what programs received what funding, city council looked at the impact level, readiness, accessibility and sustainability of each applicant.
“Sustainability was the big category; how can we keep these programs, and these facilities open after the grant funding ends because it’s better to see a program receive funding that can carry on and continue their programing as opposed to a one and done situation.”
City council says many organizations that were hit hard during the pandemic dealt with food, childcare and community programs.
“Families who are at risk for hunger has gone up fifty-percent by the numbers I’ve seen.”
Over seven-hundred-thousand-dollars is being split between each food applicant, like the Greater Johnstown YMCA.
“From the data that I’ve seen, I believe one in five working mothers no longer ha access to childcare.”
Childcare programs like Learning Lamp are each getting a portion of more than nine-hundred-thousand-dollars of the grant funding.
City council did address the fact that we are living in a digital world, and they also would like to focus on providing one-hundred-thousand-dollars toward new technology equipment at the Cambria County Library.
Officials say another $2.4 million is being rewarded to the city of Johnstown by different federal state and private grants to help these same programs.