American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to facilitate the recovery from the devastating economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act established the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund (CSFRF) and Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CLFRF), which provides a combined $350 billion in assistance to eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to assist in the economic and health recovery by providing resources to address impacts resulting from the crisis. These funds can be used to respond to the pandemic including mitigation and prevention; support communities and populations most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis; address negative economic impacts cause by the public health emergency; and invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.
The City received Fiscal Recovery Funds in two installments for a total amount of $73,535,189. The first allocation in the amount of $36,767,594 was received in June 2021, and 12 months later in June 2022 the second half in the amount of $36,767,594.
Uses of Funding
Support Public Health Expenditures
Support public health expenditures, by funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff.
Address Negative Economic Impacts Caused by the Public Health Emergency
Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harms to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector.
Replace Lost Public Sector Revenue
Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic.
Provide Premium Pay for Essential Workers
Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have borne and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors.
Invest in Water, Sewer and Broadband Infrastructure
Invest in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and storm water infrastructure, and to expand access to broadband internet.
Strategic Plan Alignment
The ARPA Expenditure Plan is interwoven throughout the entire Envision Riverside 2025 Strategic Plan and Goals.
The item aligns with each of the five Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust
Riverside is committed to providing a transparent process and gather community input to support how funds will be used. To assist with these efforts, the City has developed an ARPA webpage that includes program information, a public survey and dedicated ARPA email address.
Equity
Riverside is supportive of the ongoing evaluation of potential programs and projects that ensure a response to disproportionately impacted groups and the exacerbation of health inequities along racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines.
Fiscal Responsibility
This item ensures fiscal responsibility of ARPA funds via a periodic review of spending activity and critical funding needs and ensuring that ARPA funding is encumbered and expended within the required timeframe.
Innovation
Support public health expenditures, by funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff.
Sustainability & Resiliency
This item ensures sustainability through ongoing evaluation of projects and programs to allow adaptation to meet the current COVID- 19 public health emergency and future needs ensuring the City's capacity to persevere, adapt, and grow.
City of Riverside ARPA
Spending Category Group Allocation
Public Health - 17%
Negative Economic Impacts - 45%
Negative Economic Impacts, Public Sector Capacity - 5%
Revenue Replacement - 30%
Administration - 3%
Reports
Read the City of Riverside reports that have been submitted to the U.S Department of Treasury:
American Rescue Plan Resources
Current City of Riverside ARPA Projects
| Funding Amount: $450,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 1.12 Mental Health Services |
| Department: Library |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Social work Internship program called Love Your Neighbor and Path of Life Ministries places social work interns at eight (8) library sites on a rotating basis, supervised by social work specialists. The interns will engage displaced individuals and refer them to agency partners to receive assistance for their mental, physical, behavioral, and spiritual needs. This project began Fall 2022, has completed less than 50%, and is ongoing. |
| Funding Amount: $650,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 1.4 Prevention in Congregate Settings |
| Department: Fire |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: This project is part of a phased approach to ensure the Emergency Operations Center can effectively operate in an all-hazard environment including during a disease outbreak such as a pandemic. Phase I includes a ventilation upgrade. Phase II includes remodeling of EOC layout (furniture) to provide enhanced capabilities, COVID/Pandemic safe working conditions, ADA accessibility, Upgrade the EOC audio/video situational awareness system, and improve the ventilation system. This project is less than 50% completed and is ongoing. |
| Funding Amount: $6,000,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.29 Loans or Grants to Mitigate Financial Hardship |
| Department: Community and Economic Development |
|
Project Overview, Status, and Performance: The Small & Micro Business Resiliency Grant Program aims not only to meet ongoing pandemic recovery requirements but also to foster the enduring resilience and expansion of local small businesses. The program strives to facilitate access to essential resources and diminish obstacles to success encountered by small businesses in disadvantaged communities. This is completed by leveraging financial support through grant awards of up to $25,000, the program seeks to provide a tangible and meaningful boost to qualified businesses, enabling them to overcome obstacles and contribute to the overall economic recovery.
In addition to direct financial assistance, the City of Riverside Small & Micro Business Grant Program incorporates a strategic approach to support by offering a FREE two-hour, one-on-one Business Resiliency Consultation for all applicants. This consultation serves as a valuable resource, helping businesses identify areas for improvement and develop customized strategies. The overarching goal is to enhance financial stability, ensure long-term sustainability, and build the capacity for success among small businesses in disadvantaged communities. This project is ongoing and has assisted 28 businesses totaling $215,000 in grants. |
| Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.29 Loans or Grants to Mitigate Financial Hardship |
| Department: Police |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: The Riverside Police Department will provide Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) walk-throughs. CPTED's provide businesses with recommendations to improve safety and deter crime. The program funding will reimburse businesses to provide qualified security equipment. This project is less than 25% completed. |
| Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.1 Household Assistance: Food Programs |
| Department: Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Collaborate with sub-recipients to provide seniors, teens, and members of the vulnerable population with a nutritious meal at least once a week. The program will offer prepared meals to individuals for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The goal is to distribute a minimum of 300 meals per day, four times a week throughout the program. In addition to the prepared meals, the same population will be offered commodity boxes with dairy products, fruits, and vegetables to ensure accessibility to healthy snacks. Those interested in participating must sign up and meet the specified eligibility criteria. This program has a 50% or more completion status. They average serving 324 partcipants daily. |
| Funding Amount: |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.10 Assistance to Unemployed or Underemployed (e.g. job training) |
| Department: Community and Economic Development |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: This project provides funding to workforce and job skills programs to enable their operations to provide job and workforce training. Provide scholarships to populations who experience negative economic impact for workforce and job training programs specifically in agriculture to increase skills while simultaneously contributing to increasing food production to build food resiliency. Support and facilitate agriculture workforce training to provide program participants with a strong foundation in agriculture to connect and explore employment, career pathway, and opportunities in food and agriculture sectors. This program is on track to begin in 2024. |
| Funding Amount: $240,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.25 Addressing Educational Disparities: Academic, Social, and Emotional Services |
| Department: Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Provide instruction on wellness and mental health to teens most impacted by the pandemic. This program supports the public health response by providing services to address behavioral healthcare needs exacerbated by the pandemic. Serving the hardest hit communities and families: funding for community violence intervention programs, providing additional resources to high-poverty school districts (RUSD/AUSD) and offering educational services like tutoring or after-school programs (ASP) as well as services to address social, emotional, and mental health needs. This program has a more than 50% completion rate. |
| Funding Amount: $1,050,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 1.14 Other Public Health Services |
| Department: Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: This program provides scholarships to participants that meet qualifying criteria or reside in a qualified census tract for activities to improve health coming out of the pandemic and reduce impacts from isolation. Serving the hardest hit communities and families - providing additional resources to high-poverty school districts (RUSD/AUSD) and offering recreational/educational services as well as services to address social, emotional, and mental health needs. The scholarships will help mitigate the lack of accessibility of recreational and educational programming, reduce and/or eliminate financial burden to underserved communities. Programs are available to residents of all ages and include Senior Swim; Youth Contract Classes; Riverside Arts Academy; and Youth Sports. This program is 25% completed. |
| Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.22 Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood Features that Promote Health & Safety |
| Department: Housing and Human Services |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Santa Ana River Homeless Encampment Clean Up and Improvements. This project is less than 25% completed. |
| Funding Amount: $5,000,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.22 Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood Features that Promote Health & Safety |
| Department: Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Design and construction of a gymnasium at Bordwell Park to expand on public facilities and provide increased recreational, and educational opportunities that would serve all residents who wish to utilize them. The gym would be designed with conservation in mind to be as environmentally friendly and energy efficient as possible. The project will provide the community with access to a gymnasium facility and equipment for physical fitness & health programs. This project is less than 50% completed. |
| Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.25 Addressing Educational Disparities: Academic, Social, and Emotional Services |
| Department: Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Young Offenders and At-Risk Teen Wellness Classes for reintegration into society. Provides full program services to teens who are currently on probation (aged 16 to 22 years old at the time of program involvement). The program provides services to address behavioral healthcare needs exacerbated by the pandemic. Serving the hardest hit communities and families: funding for community violence intervention programs, providing additional resources to high-poverty school districts (RUSD/AUSD) and offering educational services like tutoring or after school programs (ASP) as well as services to address social, emotional, and mental health needs. This project is less than 25% completed. |
| Funding Amount: $185,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 1.14 Other Public Health Services |
| Department: Library |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Safe at Your Library is a host of mitigation efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses. The ability to limit access to materials that may have potential hazards, safer drinking fountains for community members at the library, enhanced security, and safety throughout, and clean exteriors and interiors of each library location. Modifications include the addition of lockable book drops, water bottle filling stations, sanitizing kits for families, and an app-based circulation feature for the community to use to checkout materials with their own digital devices. This project is 50% completed and has served 358,622 households. |
| Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.25 Addressing Educational Disparities: Academic, Social, and Emotional Services |
| Department: Library |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Sparking Knowledge Retention provides new and continued access to resources to help those 0-12 who have experienced loss in literacy/early learning/academic skills due to the public health emergency. Opportunities are offered on site at all 8 library locations, via a new Library to You outreach vehicle, and virtually through digital resources. Funds will pay for: early learning tablets, HelpNow! online tutoring, story time and phonics kits for checkout, STEM related toys and coding kits for checkout, book giveaways, an additional virtual learning resource, and new outreach van. This program is more than 50% completed and has served 28,400 households. |
| Funding Amount: $345,000 |
| Project Exepnditure Category: 2.25 Addressing Educational Disparities: Academic, Social, and Emotional Services |
| Department: Library |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: To make library services more accessible to each resident and ensure a contact-less pickup of materials the library will install six (6) book lockers positioned at various locations throughout Riverside at Parks, Community/Senior Centers, select library locations, and other strategic locations. Customers will be able to request library books to be picked up at any of the lockers throughout the city, staff will deliver the items, and once notified customers will be able to pick up their items at their convenience, without having staff interaction. This will increase access to the library in a safe way that limits the spread of COVID-19 or other illnesses. This program is less than 50% completed. |
| Funding Amount: $1,800,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.22 Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood Features that Promote Health & Safety |
| Department: Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: This project adds new park facilities & amenities, provides access to physical fitness & health exercise equipment to all park users, provides irrigation water conservation improvements by removing turf, installing water efficient drip irrigation, and installing a smart controller to substantially reduce the overall use of water. The lighting system will provide additional safety and security with expanded lighting and brightness levels throughout the park while reducing overall energy consumption & providing cost savings in perpetuity. |
| Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.11 Healthy Childhood Environments: Childcare |
| Department: Community and Economic Development |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: The program is designed to link childcare providers in the City and eligible families in need. Childcare providers who provide eligible families with services receive a match to cover a portion of the monthly tuition from the City’s ARPA funding. This program is available to all residents of the city with a particular focus on ensuring equitable resources to communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Families residing within CDBG Census tracks, low-income families, families with one or both parents re-entering the workforce, and/or families receiving subsidized funding through one of the approved agencies identified in the Final Rule. This project is 25% completed. |
| Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.10 Assistance to Unemployed or Underemployed (e.g. job training) |
| Department: Library |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Career Connection Hubs in all 8 library locations encourage workforce development, job seeking, and skill building for those that are transitioning employment opportunities due to COVID-19. These are mindful of the emergence of remote workers and the need for space that is comfortable to work. Expanding on successful areas already funded through CARES Act; funds will pay for: laptop kiosks at 6 locations w/ minimal furniture needs, free printing for all customers, 3D printers, monthly workshops in Spanish, ASL and English, and books/e-resources. These spaces will provide increased employment opportunities and success in finding work for community members who lost work during the health emergency or need to transition to new employment; and a location for those needing to work remotely which allows them to achieve work related goals. This program is less than 50% completed. |
Completed ARPA Projects
| Funding Amount: $11,250 |
| Project Category Expenditure: 1.1 Covid-19 Vaccination |
| Department: General Services |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: City-owned property used as vaccination site managed by the Riverside County Department of Health provided vaccinations for residents of the City of Riverside. |
| Funding Amount: $240,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 2.34 Assistance to Impacted Non Profit Organizations |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: The program supported nonprofit organizations with grants that were used for a variety of expenditures including, but not limited to: special event mitigation and prevention support; equipment, supplies, products, signage, etc. at events to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19; mitigate interruption of services to the community; and economic hardships. |
| Funding Amount: $400,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 3.4 Public Sector Capacity: Effective Service Delivery |
| Department: IT |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Replacement of city’s Internet-facing firewalls as it reached end of life, end of support, and the city will no longer be able to get replacement parts or repair them if they fail. |
| Funding Amount: $90,000 |
| Project Expenditure Category: 1.2 Public Health COVID-19 Testing |
| Department: Human Resource |
| Project Overview, Status, and Performance: Testing Kits for city employees to prevent the spread of COVID-19. |
Comments or Questions regarding American Rescue Plan Act: [email protected]