Mayor Kate Gallego and the Phoenix City Council Approve a Peoples First Strategy with Funds from the American Rescue Plan

More evidence the Biden/Harris American Rescue Plan is helping Arizonans.

Mayor Kate Gallego and the Phoenix City Council approved a spending plan on June 9, 2021, that would allocate the first installment of American Rescue Plan funds ($198 million) the city received in May.

Another allotment will be funded next year.

In a press release from the Mayor’s office, the funds will be steered toward assisting those in need and small businesses. Among the provisions are:

• $10 million for job training and child care so people can find work.
• $8 million for businesses looking to recover from the lull caused by the pandemic.
• $2.75 for art and cultural centers.
• $2 million for small business job recruitment and training.
• $5 million for vaccination education and outreach including converting mobile COVID 19 testing vans to mobile vaccination ones.
• 28.8 million for “youth sports, education, and after school programs.”
• $28 million to help people pay their mortgage, rent, and utilities.
• $31.5 million “will go to assist individuals, families and military veterans experiencing homelessness, mental health care assistance, and heat respite facilities.”

On the passage of this spending plan, Mayor Gallego said:

“This plan takes care of our residents, from the youngest to the most senior. Businesses are still hurting from the effects of the COVID recession. We will help them get back on their feet. Older adults will be able to receive healthy food and dementia care, and children will have access to technology to help them learn and activities to keep them engaged after school.” The plan, approved during last night’s meeting of the Phoenix City Council, also prioritized jobs/workforce development, small business assistance, vaccination, education, and assistance for vulnerable people.”

“The decisions we made today put money where it matters. Although some sectors of the economy are booming, we still have small business owners hanging on by a thread, employees who lost their jobs and are trying to get back into the workforce, and kids who have fallen too far behind in school – not to mention arts communities that have been at a standstill and veterans who are on the verge of homelessness. By offering targeted help to these groups, we give them a better opportunity for success and, in turn, improve the recovery outlook for our entire city.”

Please click on the link below to read the whole press release.

MAYOR GALLEGO, COUNCIL MEMBERS APPROVE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR FEDERAL RELIEF DOLLARS