URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The City of Urbana has reached a decision on how to allocate nearly $10 million in funding courtesy of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The city received just under $13 million from the landmark legislation President Biden signed into law one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this money was to support local and state governments in their response to and recovery from COVID-19. By late 2022, however, the city had only allocated approximately $3 million with the majority still unallocated.
Applications opened in September and the City Council heard proposals in December from parties interested in receiving the remaining funds. City officials said that of the applications they received, 46 met the minimum qualifications. These applicants requested almost $40 million in funds, four times the amount available.
After a series of discussions throughout December, January and February, the City Council finalized on Monday the list of 25 projects to receive funding:
| Organization name | Project name/purpose | Amount |
| Carle Foundation Hospital | Hope Village | $850,000 |
| Champaign County Economic Development Corporation | COVID-19 Recovery: Urbana Small Business Microloan Fund | $250,000 |
| Champaign County Environmental Stewards | Establish a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility | $175,000 |
| Champaign County Health Care Consumers | Special Populations Outreach and Enrollment for Health Food, and Housing Security | $500,000 |
| City of Champaign Township | Strides Low Barrier Shelter – 70 E. Washington St. Champaign | $750,000 |
| City of Urbana | Sanitary Sewer Lateral Lining Pilot Program | $1,296,000 |
| City of Urbana | Urbana Roof Repair and Replacement Program | $150,000 |
| City of Urbana | Student, Family, Community Engagement Sponsorship | $143,334 |
| Common Ground Food Co-op | Common Ground Food For All Food Accessibility Program | $10,000 |
| Cunningham Township Supervisor’s Office | Bridge to Home: Filling Gaps in Local Homeless and Housing Services | $658,838 |
| Eastern Illinois Foodbank | Electric Cargo Vans & Charging Station | $79,000 |
| FirstFollowers | Urbana Community Peace Hub | $79,000 |
| Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County | First-time home ownership counseling | $25,000 |
| Housing Authority of Champaign County | Steer Place Renovation Project | $500,000 |
| Housing Authority of Champaign County | Affordable Housing – Single Room Occupancy Project | $200,000 |
| Housing Authority of Champaign County, YouthBuild | YouthBuild: Bridging the Gap | $350,000 |
| Red Herring Vegetarian Restaurant | Handmade Harvest; Healthy Meals for Families Facing Food Insecurity | $10,000 |
| Sola Gratia Farm | Community Farm Expansion for Enhanced Sustainable Fresh Food Production, Engagement and Consumption | $150,000 |
| The Urbana Free Library | Community Connections Youth Programming Specialist | $173,596 |
| The Well Experience | Well Family Care Program | $160,000 |
| University of Illinois YMCA (New American Welcome Center) | COVID-19 Recovery for Immigrant Communities | $450,000 |
| Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center | Operation UNCC Boost | $100,000 |
| Urbana Park District | Urbana Park District Health & Wellness Center | $2,000,000 |
| Urbana School District 116 | Urbana School District Alternative Education | $814,375 |
| Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center | ACCESS IMC | $75,000 |
“This allocation represents an intentional investment in community health and healing,” said Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin. “The funded projects improve and expand access to basic needs such as homeless supportive services, affordable housing, youth engagement and activities, mental and physical health, food security, and job training. This is a one-time investment in programs and infrastructure that will have a lifetime of benefits for our community.”
The City of Urbana allocated this money in the hopes of addressing eight goals identified by public input and the Urbana City Council. The table below shows how many projects address each goal and how much money was spent to address each goal:
| Goal | Number of projects that address goal | Funding allocated to projects that address goal |
| Improve accessibility of public recreation space and youth programming | 8 | $3,816,305 |
| Increase support for community violence interventions | 6 | $3,546,909 |
| Reduce housing costs for those that need it most | 9 | $4,083,838 |
| Increase availability and affordability of mental health services | 5 | $2,339,200 |
| Increase availability and affordability of food | 5 | $749,000 |
| Increase job training and placement opportunities | 3 | $1,243,575 |
| Provide relief and support for local businesses | 1 | $250,000 |
| Invest in infrastructure to increase community health, safety, and future resilience | 6 | $5,885,375 |
