A series of ARPA grant funding projects are approved by Sussex County Council.
The grants total $7.5 million, and they will be distributed to 12 nonprofits to help assist them in the ongoing pandemic recovery.
All three major hospital systems with campuses in the county - Bayhealth, Beebe, and Tidal Health – received grants along with non-profit health and social service providers including the Children’s Beach House, Community Resource Center, Easter Seals in Georgetown, and Montessori Works. They all split $5 million.
Sussex County Finance Director Gina Jennings says those groups selected had to meet certain criteria.
"They needed to respond to public health emergencies, negative impacts related to public health emergencies. Nonprofits only were to apply. Projects had to be over a half a million dollars, and obviously meet all the reporting and compliance requirements by the treasury,” said Jennings.
Jennings says that groups working to create affordable housing were also awarded.
"Better Homes of Seaford, this is a 36 rental housing unit for the elderly in Seaford, Milford Housing Development Corp 20 homes owner units in Lewes, there was a second application from Milford Housing that was 10 home ownership units in Greenwood, Millsboro Housing for Progress a rehabilitation of 38 rental units in Millsboro, and then Sussex County Habitat for Humanity 10 home ownership units throughout Sussex County," said Jennings.
They were awarded $500,000 each with $2.5 million in total distributed between the five projects.
Sussex County has received more than $45 million in the past year in federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act.
