Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced that 13 rural Hoosier communities will receive more than $1.96 million in federal grant funding, through the new COVID-19 Response Program.
In March, Governor Eric Holcomb issued Executive Order 20-05 that allowed the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) to redirect Community Development Block Grant funds to assist with COVID-19 needs, based on guidance from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
On April 1, the COVID-19 Response Program launched and, over the course of two weeks, received 108 Letters of Need, totaling an estimated $23 million in requests. Eligible activities for this program include but are not limited to:
- Expanding or altering existing medical facilities to help in the increase patient load due to COVID-19;
- Provide fixed or mobile testing;
- Expand food pantry services to low-to-moderate (LMI) populations; and
- Provide grants or loans to small businesses to help retain LMI jobs.
More projects will be announced as they continue to be evaluated and reviewed by OCRA. For further information on the program, visit www.in.gov/ocra/3010.htm.
Provide testing, diagnosis or other services
- Cass County and Logansport Memorial Hospital are awarded $150,000 to provide COVID-19 testing at the Cass County Fairgrounds to residents of Cass County. Special hours will be set aside for those that are seniors aged 62 and older.
Establish delivery service
- The City of Logansport is awarded $100,000 to deliver supplies and meals to LMI residents in partnership with the United Way of Cass County.
Grants to businesses to retain jobs
- The Town of North Manchester is awarded $250,000 to build upon an existing Revolving Loan Fund to provide grants to local businesses with employees who have low-and-moderate income households impacted by the current COVID-19 crisis.
- Fulton County is awarded $250,000 to provide grants to small businesses in order to retain employees. Fulton County Commissioner Brian Lewis explains.
- The City of Knox is awarded $250,000 to provide working capital to local businesses for job retention.
