The Board of Supervisors approved the initial project recommendations for Phase One Funding Allocations for the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). The funds come from the total of first allocation $150 million, which the County received in May 2021.
Project proposals had to fit in one of the three Board-approved strategic investments for priority issue areas: Housing and Homelessness, Health, or Economic Response.
Housing and Homelessness
- Landlord Engagement and Re-Housing Supports: $10 millionThis program will improve re-housing outcomes for people experiencing homelessness with an array of supportive services, landlord engagement strategies and incentives, and flexible rental subsidies.
- Sacramento County Social Health Connect: $5 million*A Social Health Information Exchange (SHIE) is a countywide data infrastructure that links medical, behavioral health, social service and housing data from multiple sources.
- Community Nursing Encampment Unit Pilot: $700,000This public health nursing team will provide outreach, client advocacy and professional case management to individuals experiencing homelessness.
- Community Nursing Children and Families Unit: $1.5 millionThis Public Health Nursing team will provide nursing assessments and interventions, care coordination, linkages to health resources, and health education to pregnant and parenting families experiencing, or who are at risk of, homelessness.
- Encampment Management Information Database: $160,000This project will allow for the development of a web-based Encampment Management Information Tracking (EMIT) database to help County staff and contractors track and manage response to homeless encampments.
- River District Outreach Navigation: $160,000
The County will dedicate two contracted outreach/housing navigators to specifically work in the River District as a one-year pilot program.
Staff are continuing to develop and scope projects with a focus on housing development projects, funding to support development of new low-barrier, housing-focused sheltering programs, and improving access to the homeless system of care, including shelter and housing.
Health
- Substance Use Respite and Engagement Center: $2.6 millionFunding to support the Substance Use Respite and Engagement (SURE) Center program operated by WellSpace Health, which provides short-term (4-12 hours) recovery, detoxification, recuperation from the effects of acute alcohol or drug intoxication.
- Project Roomkey Medical Services: $1 millionProvides medical services for individuals in Project RoomKey, including health education and care coordination, harm reduction, wellness and supportive care, COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
- Emergency Medical Services Equipment: $107,000Funding will provide equipment and supplies in order to more safely and rapidly deploy temporary facilities in the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activation.
- Primary Health Clinic Staffing: $2.5 millionFunding will support additional temporary staff to increase service capacity at the clinic.
- Pandemic Technology Needs: $350,000Will fund increased contracted IT Services and staffing support to support and deploy new public health systems and adjustments to current systems to track data and provide care for the community.
- Juvenile Medical Services Staffing: $191,500
- Funding will support an additional registered nurse at the Youth Detention Facility.
- Employee COVID Vaccination and Testing Program: $300,000Add temporary help to support one current Department of Personnel Services (DPS) staff member in the administration of the County Employee COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Program.
- Academic Support and School Readiness: $1.2 millionThis project addresses the negative impact of academic disruption and remote learning due to the pandemic on foster children, families and caretakers.
- Building Strong Families: $3.9 millionFunding will go toward Family Support Navigators to connect families to critical services in geographic locations that were hardest hit by COVID-19.
- Sacramento County Social Health Connect: $5 million*A Social Health Information Exchange (SHIE) is a countywide data infrastructure that links medical, behavioral health, social service and housing data from multiple sources.
*Total project is $10 million, funded with $5 million from both Housing and Homelessness and Health allocations.
Staff continue to develop and scope projects with a focus on opportunities to maximize the quality and delivery of public health services, and increasing medical care and reduce disease transmission in the Homeless community.
Economic Response
- Retail Food Permit Fee Waiver: $6.8 millionWaive the annual operating permit fees from the Environmental Management Department for approximately 7,161 retail food businesses in Sacramento County.
- Chamber of Commerce Grants: $325,000Direct grants of $25,000 to Chambers of Commerce located in unincorporated Sacramento County for operations dedicated to small business supportive programs related to equitable economic recovery efforts.
- Property and Business Improvement District Grants: $250,000Direct grants of $50,000 to Property and Business Improvement Districts (PBIDs) located in unincorporated Sacramento County for operations dedicated to small business supportive programs related to equitable economic recovery efforts.
- Arts and Non-Profit Cultural Grants**Direct grants in the range of $5,000-$100,000 to up to 300 arts and non-profit cultural organizations throughout the County that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. This project will be in partnership with the City of Sacramento, who will provide a match to the project.
- Small Business and Non-Profit Grants: $7.5 million**Direct grants of $5,000 to 1,500 Small Business and Non -Profit organizations in unincorporated Sacramento County that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.
- Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Business Support Services: $660,000Fund the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce for operations dedicated to providing assistance, counseling, County program outreach and other services to businesses that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.
- Sacramento Inclusive Economic Development Collaboration, Business Support Services: $1.8 millionFund the Sacramento Inclusive Economic Development Collaboration (Sac IEDC) for operations dedicated to providing assistance, counseling, in-language support, County program outreach and other services to businesses that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.
- Business Environmental Resources Center, Business Support Services: $200,000Fund the Business Environmental Resource Center (BERC) for operations dedicated to providing assistance, counseling, County program outreach and other services to businesses that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19.
*Grant application opportunities will be announced at a later date.
View the full list of project summaries.
In addition to approving the recommended projects, the Board asked County staff to bring back funding recommendations for chambers of commerce and property and business improvement districts outside of the unincorporated County who do not receive ARPA grants from incorporated cities, as well as projects that address food insecurity.
The County will receive the second installment of $150 million in ARPA funds in May 2022.
American Rescue Plan Act funds provide local fiscal aid to support COVID-19 response efforts, cover increased expenditures, replenish lost revenue and mitigate economic harm from the COVID pandemic. For more information, visit the County’s American Rescue Plan Act webpage.
