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Board directs $9.7M in contingency/ARPA funds to food security, clinics and rental assistance
Summary
After extensive public comment, the Board directed one‑time allocations from contingency/ARPA funds: $5.0 million to a coordinated Food Security Collaborative (including Loaves & Fishes central kitchen and Meals on Wheels support), $1.9 million to community health centers to sustain current Basic Health Care enrollments for one year, and roughly $2.83 million to top up rental assistance contracts; the motion passed unanimously.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors directed staff to use $9,729,868 of available contingency/ARPA funds for near‑term human‑services priorities after hours of public comment from food banks, community clinics, housing advocates and unions.
Allocation and mechanism - $5,000,000 to the Food Security Collaborative: the board directed staff to expand the county’s contract arrangements (work through the existing Food Bank fiscal/administration contract where feasible) to deliver immediate food‑security capacity, including support for Loaves & Fishes’ proposed central kitchen in Antioch and backfill for Meals on Wheels programs with documented wait lists. County staff indicated portions of the $5M would support both large shared infrastructure (kitchen, logistics) and smaller community partners.
- $1,900,000 to community health centers: the board approved a one‑year, one‑time grant to sustain Basic Health Care coverage for approximately 2,800 community clinic patients while county and community partners design longer‑term approaches to mitigate HR 1/state policy impacts. Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said the one‑year runway would allow the county and clinics to plan eligibility and delivery models.
- Approximately $2,829,000 for rental assistance: the board directed staff to allocate the remaining contingency funds to rental assistance and top‑ups across three existing contracted providers (Bay Area Community Services, Catholic Charities and Saint Vincent de Paul) to address imminent prevention and eviction‑avoidance needs. Health/Housing staff said these are existing contract partners and that funds would be proportioned to prior contract requests to get money into the community quickly.
Board discussion and safeguards Board members discussed using existing procurement/contracts where possible to speed disbursement and recommended requirements for fiscal accountability and program reporting. Several supervisors asked that any collective‑fund model be matched by philanthropy when possible; one compromise discussed was to make a conditional $500,000 board contribution contingent on securing matching philanthropic funds.
Vote and next steps Supervisor Ken moved the allocation (seconded by Supervisor Diane); the motion passed unanimously. Staff were directed to implement allocations through existing contracts where feasible, to return to the board with details about contracting, reporting and timelines, and to coordinate with community partners to ensure rapid distribution and oversight.
