The Grover Beach City Council recently approved the allocation of $1.6 million for various COVID-19 recovery and relief programs and other high priority community needs. These population-based funds were provided to the City this fiscal year by the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). An additional $1.6 million will be provided the following fiscal year beginning July 1, 2022.

“While Grover Beach’s future continues to be bright, the impacts and challenges from COVID-19 remain in our community,” said Grover Beach Mayor Jeff Lee. “We are committed as a city to using these one-time ARPA funds to make a difference in our community by assisting residents, nonprofits, and businesses as well as addressing homelessness.”

Given the City’s Major City Goal of Housing and Homelessness, approximately $800,000 of funding will be allocated for homeless services and facilities such as temporary or permanent shelter spaces and homeless outreach and related services. These efforts, combined with programs with other agencies such as the County of San Luis Obispo and 5Cities Homeless Coalition, are critical for our community to be able to help unhoused individuals access services and secure housing away from encampments at parks and other public spaces.

The City is also committed to continuing to support local businesses and build a stronger economy that provides more jobs for the Grover Beach community. $300,000 of the City’s ARPA funds will provide additional business assistance/improvement grants and also fund the City’s economic development contract with the South County Chambers of Commerce to help local businesses recover and rebuild from the impacts of COVID-19. The City found great success working with the Chamber over the last year on economic support programs including the #BuyLocal program, which generated over $200,000 in spending at Grover Beach businesses.

Understanding that hardships caused by COVID-19 vary greatly by individual, the City has also committed $150,000 to support local nonprofits that serve Grover Beach, including continuing to provide funding for child care assistance for families of school-aged children. Additionally, the City will allocate $50,000 to continue its low-income utility payment subsidy program, which has already helped many families and households over the past year.

The remaining $300,000 in ARPA funding will be used to support Grover Beach infrastructure by helping to fund sewer line upgrades in various locations in the city. Although these types of projects are not necessarily visible, this infrastructure that operates “behind-the-scenes” affects everyday life and contributes to overall community well-being.

The City of Grover Beach is already incorporating these newly approved projects and programs into work plans to put these ARPA funds to use. Residents can stay up-to-date on these initiatives by following the City of Grover Beach on FacebookInstagramTwitter and Nextdoor.