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Kenmore closes ARPA program after $6.4 million in federal relief funded housing, services and business aid
Summary
City staff presented a final report on how the city spent its $6.4 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation, including direct cash assistance, homelessness outreach, school-based counseling and business grants, and how remaining funds were allocated to special projects and biennial budget items.
City staff told the Kenmore City Council that the city has completed spending its $6.4 million allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act and presented a final accounting of programs funded by the grant.
Garrett Oppenheim, the city’s DEIA coordinator who managed the ARPA reporting, said the city directed $1.9 million toward direct assistance and four programs that received the most public support: a Kenmore Cares direct-cash program, a homelessness response pilot, school-based counseling and catch-up-learning, and business assistance grants.
Key program details Oppenheim described include: - Kenmore Cares direct cash assistance: roughly $1,000,000 in awards to 412 households; payment formula was $2,000 per household plus $250 per additional household member, serving approximately 789 people in total. - Homelessness response pilot: initial contract with Lake City Partners for outreach ($50,000 for one year, extended another year for $18,000); Lake City Partners continues outreach and coordinated services, and two people previously homeless were moved into housing tied to the program. - Human-services funding: about $250,000 allocated for mental-health supports including school-based counseling provided first at Inglemoor High School and currently at Kenmore Middle School; Center for Human Services hired a therapist providing two days a week at the middle school. - Catch-up learning and childcare support: $100,000 contracted with Cascadia College for a summer academy and ongoing tutoring (“Wednesdays at Cascadia”). - Business assistance: $250,000 total; an initial $65,000 for brick-and-mortar businesses in urgent need and a later $185,000 awarded to a mix of nonprofits, brick-and-mortar and home-based businesses.
Oppenheim said the remainder of ARPA funds were used under the city’s revenue-replacement election and transferred into special-project funds: $2,400,000 reimbursed to the general fund for a property purchase and $2,100,000 allocated to the current biennial budget for identified special projects. He said all ARPA money has been expended and that ongoing projects funded by ARPA will be completed through the special-projects fund during the biennium.
Councilmembers thanked staff for the community-engagement process used during the ARPA planning, which the city earlier won an award for from the Association of Washington Cities.
Oppenheim and staff said departmental reports on specific special-project spending will follow in coming months.
