Before spending ARP dollars, the City had to develop internal processes consistent with federal regulations to ensure monies are spent consistent with procurement standards. All ARP funds are being expended with careful attention to federal reporting requirements and compliance with guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department.
To simplify and streamline the process of reporting on the expenditure of federal ARP funds, the city will in some cases use non-federal dollars to implement the ARP spending plan detailed above, while utilizing the federal funds to support operating or capital expenditures in an equivalent amount. As a result, the reports that the city submits will not necessarily mirror the spending plan detailed above. It is important to note, however, that even though federal dollars will not be used to implement each part of the city’s ARP spending plan, the allocation of ARP funds made the implementation of that full recovery plan possible.
As of February 28, 2023, a grand total of $76 million of the City’s total ARP allocation of $112 million has been awarded to end recipients, meaning that contracts or purchase orders have been issued. All funds must be committed in this manner before the end of calendar year 2024.
Highlights from ARP projects already implemented are described below:
Hartford Unity Grants – Support for Youth Programming
Young people have experienced a great deal of disruption, isolation, and uncertainty amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. To help address this, ARP funds are being invested to give our kids the chance to reconnect with peers and mentors, get the support of caring, dedicated providers, and just have some fun – whether it’s through sports, music, dance, or anything else.
In 2021, $1.5 million in Hartford Unity Grants were distributed to 68 different youth-serving providers, serving more than 11,000 kids. Click here to see a full list of grant recipients.
In 2022, a second round of Hartford Unity Grants was released, providing a further $1.9 million in funding to 63 youth-service organizations. Click here to see the full list of second round grantees.
A third round has been announced for 2023, with recipients to be announced in the coming weeks.
Free Youth Sports – Active City Youth Sports Collaborative
The City of Hartford has committed almost $1 million to launch the largest free out-of-school sports program in recent memory, in partnership with Active City’s Youth Sports Collaborative. Through this program, 1,000 young people ages 5-14 have the opportunity to participate in free sports – whether in our parks when the weather is nice, or in our school facilities after school and on weekends during the winter.
Read the story on FOX61.
Connecting Young People to Tech Jobs
Working with our partners at Girls for Technology and GalaxE.Solutions, the city has funded a partnership to train Hartford residents for guaranteed jobs in IT. To help support this collaboration, the City of Hartford has provided a grant of up to $600,000 using American Rescue Plan funds, and has set aside $2.4 million in additional funding to support similar programs
Read and watch the story on WFSB.
Activating Vacant Retail Spaces
To help Hartford’s small businesses to recover from the pandemic, the City launched the Hart Lift program in partnership with the Hartford Chamber of Commerce. This $6 million initiative funds build-out costs for new businesses opening in vacant spaces. Property owners with vacant storefronts are eligible for grants of $50 per square foot, up to a maximum of $150,000. Grants can be used for interior and exterior buildout costs for new businesses opening in new or existing ground floor retail spaces. The grants must be matched 100% by landlord/tenant investments in the downtown and 50% along neighborhood commercial corridors. As of January 2023, the Hart Lift program has provided approximately $6.26 million in assistance to 60 businesses in neighborhoods across the city, 68% of which are minority or women owned. The program has filled 218,000 square feet of vacant space, and supported an estimated 740 jobs.
Read the Hartford Courant article.
Closing the Connectivity Gap
The City has dedicated $750,000 to bring high-speed fiber to businesses along North Main Street and Windsor Street – closing the connectivity gap so those businesses can grow.
Read the Hartford Courant article.
Bringing Back Concerts and Events
Moving forward from the pandemic, the City dedicated funding for concerts, festivals, and other events to promote arts and culture. The City committed $1.3 million to a partnership with GoodWorks Entertainment that created the weekly Hartford Live concert series downtown at the Old Statehouse during the summer. The program began in 2022 and will continue for 2023, 2024 and beyond. The City also allocated $1.5 million to the Summer in the City series, which includes a lineup of diverse events such as the historic Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz.
Read the CT Insider article.
Read and watch the story on WFSB.
Re-entry Welcome Center
The City of Hartford committed $900,000 of America Rescue Plan funding to expand the Hartford Reentry Welcome Center as it moved from its old location at City Hall to a larger headquarters at 716 Windsor Street. The Reentry Welcome Center was also able to expand its list of services and partners offered to formerly incarcerated individuals in the Hartford area.
Read and watch the story on WFSB.
Community Safety
Recognizing the increase in violence across the country since the pandemic, the City of Hartford has dedicated funding towards addressing root causes of violence. The City committed $4.5 million of its America Rescue Plan dollars towards violence reduction efforts, including a Hospital-based Violence Intervention Program. Partnering with Connecticut Children’s Medical Hospital, Trinity Health of New England, and Hartford Hospital, as well as community-based organizations, the HVIP program will deploy intervention specialists to help gunshot victims while they recover in the hospital and then continue to follow up with them in the future.
Read the Hartford Courant article.