Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, along with county lawmakers and community partners are announcing the community organizations and vendors who will receive federal grants.
The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, and the county has been seeking public input on how to spend the $144 million in federal aid.
Bello says some of the money will go toward enhancing public health, especially when it comes to staffing.
“We have a healthcare workforce shortage right now, in every level of health care,” said Bello. “That’s creating problems for our residents and the systems. This will help that job training, connect people who are looking for work with training programs, with jobs.”
Other programs related to workforce development, public safety, and infrastructure. The grants discussed on Thursday account for more than $98 million of the federal allocation to Monroe County.
Bello said the 40 programs slated for grants are focused on areas that will result in transformative change.
“$2.2 million for a healthy baby network to create a doula program to reduce Black maternal and infant mortality and to mentor and work with fathers with a focus on previously incarcerated individuals,” Bellos said. “$2.1 million for Providence Housing Development Corporation to provide wraparound services for deaf and hard of hearing individuals fleeing domestic violence or human trafficking.”
More grants are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Bello this week submitted a referral to the county legislature detailing the awards and recipients for consideration at the legislature’s November meeting.
