Santa Fe outlines $7 million in ARPA human-services investments including childcare, homelessness and cash aid

Santa Fe city staff on March 26 detailed how the city spent and encumbered its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation on human services, saying the city met the federal encumbrance deadline and has contracts in place to spend the funds through 2026.

The presentation, led by Finance Director Emily Oster and Youth and Family Services Division Director Julie Sanchez, explained the city received a $15,000,000 ARPA award and that the Youth and Family Services Division was allocated roughly $7,000,000 to support projects including early childcare training, expanded homeless services, youth and community violence programs, and direct cash transfers to residents.

The summary matters because the Treasury requires ARPA funds to be encumbered by a deadline; Oster said the city met that requirement and therefore will not have to return federal dollars. The presentation also outlined ongoing evaluation and efforts to identify sustainable funding for programs beyond ARPA.

Oster said the city received the ARPA award in 2022 and that the federal program is administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as part of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. “We met that for all of our dollars,” Oster said, referring to the December 31, 2024 encumbrance deadline.

Sanchez described how her division reached decisions about priorities by combining community listening sessions, petitions from the floor, and outreach to partner organizations, and said the division funded 24 contracts that supported a range of programs. She listed four priority project areas: early childcare, homeless services, community and youth violence interventions, and direct cash assistance.

On early childcare, Sanchez said the city helped launch a pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship pathway in partnership with Santa Fe Community College. Since the program began in late 2022, Sanchez said 65 people enrolled as pre-apprentices and 38 as apprentices; 3 students had earned an associate degree and 28 a certificate. “Students earn a livable stipend in order to support their ability to attend college,” she said.

On homelessness, Sanchez said the city piloted a 10-unit, low-barrier, non-congregate micro community that allows couples and pets; of about 20 people who entered that program, she said 10 had been housed into permanent solutions. Street outreach capacity expanded from one worker to six as of March 2025, she said.

On violence-intervention work, Sanchez said the city used ARPA funds to develop programs and to match other grants, and that the city executed 26 safety plans for survivors of domestic violence between December 2024 and March 2025. She said prevention programs — including a work-based learning program run with Santa Fe Public Schools — have engaged hundreds of students: “more than 400 seniors and juniors have participated in the work-based learning program,” she said.

Sanchez described the city’s direct cash assistance rounds, noting that more than 1,000 constituents had received one-time or ongoing cash transfers to help with rent, utilities, medications and other immediate needs. She said UNM (the University of New Mexico) is conducting an evaluation of those cash-transfer programs and that an interim report is expected later in 2025.

Council members asked about sustainability. Sanchez and Oster said some programs have used the city’s upfront dollars to obtain matching grants and foundation funds; Oster added that city one-time funding has been used to continue specific programs such as the guaranteed-income pilot and the work-based learning partnership. Councilors expressed support for finding long-term budget solutions during the upcoming budget season.

The presentation closed with councilors praising staff work and asking for follow-up reports and performance measures. Sanchez noted that ARPA contracts include performance measures and that the division will provide a final report when the work is complete.

Sanchez said the programs are intended to produce longer-term outcomes in education, employment and family well-being; staff said ARPA contract spending must be completed by Dec. 30, 2026 but that all funds have been encumbered so the city will not need to return federal money.

Looking ahead, presenters said they plan to return to the governing body with additional ARPA-focused briefings on economic recovery and infrastructure spending.