About ARPA & MAAP
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), signed into law in March 2021, includes $350 billion in fiscal relief for states, counties, and cities, through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. These funds are designated for social and economic recovery from the pandemic. MAAP created a resource in early 2022 about ARPA opportunities potentially related to asthma for the following MA cities most burdened by asthma: Boston, Lowell, Lawrence, Lynn, Chelsea, Holyoke, Springfield, Brockton, New Bedford, Worcester, and Southborough. Click here to see a table with details on the funding processes and opportunities for each of these municipalities. This information is based on publicly available information on the web and was updated on January 7, 2022.
More Background on ARPA & How It Applies to Asthma
Massachusetts received $113 billion in ARPA funding; $3.4 billion is going directly to municipalities and counties. ARPA funding must fall into seven categories, according to Congress’s Interim Final Rule (IRF): Public Health, Negative Economic Impacts, Services to Disproportionately Impacted Communities, Premium Pay, Infrastructure, Revenue Replacement, and Administrative. Here are a few examples of how ARPA funding could be used to address asthma inequities from the Services to Disproportionately Impacted Communities and Public Health categories:
For addressing health disparities and the social determinants of health or promoting healthy childhood environments: fund asthma home visiting programs to provide education, community health workers, remediation of environmental exposures. Another idea is to fund public benefits navigators to assist community members with finding and applying for available Federal, State, and local public benefits or services.
For investments in housing and neighborhoods: fund affordable housing development, housing vouchers, and residential counseling to support moves to safe and healthy housing.
For public health: support for priority populations to access medical and public health services.
Tips, Considerations, and Resources:
Engaging in your municipality’s process, or applying for ARPA funding related to Asthma
Many municipalities have not yet made final decisions on ARPA resources. Contact your local health department, city manager, or mayor’s office to understand your community’s timeline and process of public input. Click here to see a table with details on the funding processes and opportunities for each of these municipalities.
ARPA resources should be used to address populations disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: ask community leaders how Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color (BIPOC), and low-income people are being prioritized in the decision-making process and how resources are being allocated.
Advocate for ARPA resources to address the needs and opportunities identified in community health needs assessments and support data-driven decision making to address health inequities.
ARPA funding is very flexible if it fits into the broad categories. For example, “services to promote access to health and social service” could support asthma home visiting programs.
If your community is dedicating funding towards housing and schools, consider providing resources to decision makers on how those investments should integrate asthma related best practices (e.g. pest control, mold prevention, etc.).
For a comprehensive resource on ARPA funding, eligible uses and examples go to https://www.nlc.org/covid-19-pandemic-response/american-rescue-plan-act/
Revitalize Community Development Corporation was granted $100,000 in ARPA funding in September 2021 from the City of Holyoke, MA, for its community health worker and healthy homes assessor-led home visiting program. This program is a part of Revitalize CDC’s DASHH Program (flyer here), whose mission is to assess and improve housing conditions for adults and children with asthma by providing critical home repairs (e.g., mold remediation) and health outreach.
HRiA has been awarded funding to support local municipalities in Massachusetts to increase community engagement in ARPA investment decision making processes. If you have ideas or questions on how we can support your community improve public participation processes please contact Ben Wood at bwwod@hria.org.