American Rescue Plan Fuels LA County Recovery With $975 Million in Community-Focused Investments

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors July 27, approved a $975 million American Rescue Act or ARP Phase One spending plan that invests federal recovery funds in hard-hit communities and advances a broad range of equity-focused programs. 

The plan invests heavily — and directly in hard-hit disadvantaged communities and in programs to address entrenched challenges ranging from homelessness and poverty to the unique needs of immigrants, small businesses, justice-involved individuals, and survivors of trauma, including domestic violence and hate crimes. 

Highlights include: 

More than $468 million for housing and related services for people experiencing homelessness, for services to prevent people falling into homelessness, and for development of affordable housing. 

More than $290 million in direct community investments and partnerships with community-based organizations. 

More than $89 million to expand the system of care and reduce reliance on incarceration; support justice-focused community organizations; create jobs for justice-involved individuals; and address trauma and violence in communities. This ARP funding includes $47.1 million for Care First, Jails Last programs, which will augment $100 million in additional County funding for Care First and Community Investments (also known as Measure J investments.) 

$12.5 million to support immigrants and immigrant-focused community-based organizations that provide a broad range of services, including legal representation, wealth-building assistance and organizational capacity building—in addition to a broad range of other ARP-funded assistance, from nutrition to childcare to health outreach, intended to benefit immigrant and other high-need communities. 

$70 million for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits hit hard by the pandemic. 

The plan is based on three pillars reflecting the Board of Supervisors’ investment in a “Better Than Before” recovery in Los Angeles County. Those pillars are: Equity-Focused Investments, Building A Bridge to an Equitable Recovery and Fiscal Stability and Social Safety Net. 

The funding represents Phase One of a $1.9 billion allocation under the American Rescue Plan, with the remaining funding to be provided to the county in May 2022. In addition, ARP funding has also been awarded to each of Los Angeles County’s 88 cities, for a grand total of more than $4.5 billion across all jurisdictions. 

A summary of the County’s ARP Phase One spending plan is here.  

Details of programs funded are here. 

For information on public services and recovery, visit Recovery.LACounty.gov