In a June 8 press conference, Mayor Joe Hogsett and his staff broke down a proposal for the allocation of funds from federal programs to aid Indianapolis residents and businesses in COVID-19 relief. The proposal will be presented to the city-county council on the evening of June 8.
“In short, it is a comprehensive funding package that seeks to address … the many needs facing our community as a whole,” Hogsett said.
In March, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Indianapolis received $168 million.
“That sounds like a lot of money,” Hogsett said. “And it is, but when you consider the scope and the scale of what our city continues to confront as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s clear these dollars will be helpful, but not sufficient. That’s why we continue to advocate our delegation to include future additional relief funding and additional flexibility that will permit the city to weather a fiscal storm that will likely stretch years into the future.”
At the city-county council meeting, the resolution put forward will ask for more than $76 million in programming, using funding from both the CARES Act and FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. Included in the resolution will be $20 million for expanding testing and contact tracing in Marion County and $15 million in direct funding for rent relief.
Hogsett also announced Lilly Endowment Inc. is committing up to $10 million to support basic needs, including funding for community centers.
Paul Babcock, director of the Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS), said he hopes Marion County will be able to expand contact tracing enough to reach 75% percent of the contacts for people who test positive for COVID-19. He said this funding will be able to not only increase the amount of people getting tested for COVID-19, but will be able to meet their contact tracing goals. Further, if passed, $3 million will go toward providing those in need with face masks.
Matt Giffin, deputy director of OPHS, announced support for the three largest food banks in Indianapolis: Gleaners Food Bank, Midwest Food Bank and Second Helpings. The resolution would expand capabilities for home delivery for those who have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as financially supporting the food banks for the increased costs they have faced as a result of the pandemic.
Additionally, the resolution would allocate funding to help individuals struggling with homelessness find temporary shelter that would allow them to practice social distancing, as well as providing businesses with grants to allow them to safely reopen to the public.
This is an ongoing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper.
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