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Public Health Pierce County leveraged the support of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) public assistance to cover the majority of testing efforts initially funded by ARPA, allowing ARPA funds to be reallocated to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD). Funds have supported local school districts, the reopening of TPCHD to provide general services that were inaccessible to the public during the pandemic, isolation and quarantine services, and treatment and wrap-around services for residents. Congregate settings continue to face issues with widespread COVID-19 outbreaks. The Pierce County jail saw a recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases, with 111 staff and inmates testing positive since April 2022. Funding helps support backfill while staff are quaranting as well as other facility adaptations and custodial services. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY: ELIGIBLE USES
approved the Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessnes to design a system that will allow functional zero – a state where people have access to immediate shelter and an effective permanent housing program. Pierce County allocated funding to a wide variety of programs and support to assist the homeless community. Programs include safe housing options, counseling and advising, assisting in emergency situations with vouchers, and providing food and basic necessities. Pierce County lacks affordable housing for very low-income households whose incomes are below 50% of the Area Median Income. The preliminary needs assessment from the County’s Affordable Housing Action Strategy identified a shortage of 34,000 rental housing units countywide that are affordable to very low-income households. Just under $20 million of ARPA funds were allocated to affordable housing projects to increase inventory. To date, an estimated total of 510 new affordable housing units will be available upon completion.
1. Support public health expenditures 2. Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency 3. Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure 4. Replace lost public sector revenue
Negative Economic Impact Just over one third of the County’s total ARPA funding was allocated to homelessness and affordable housing efforts. The Pierce County Council
Building upon efforts made in 2020 with the CARES Act, Pierce County has focused on small businesses to further stabilize the local economy and reduce ongoing negative impacts. Approximately $23 million will be distributed in the form of grants and trainings to support varying needs. The grants will focus on stabilizing and helping small businesses grow, including providing critical professional services (bookkeeping, tax advice, graphic design, web design, marketing strategies, and legal advice), one-time information technology and capital needs, childcare services, and direct assistance grants. 3
