Outagamie County's Implementation of the American Rescue Plan

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Mental and Behavioral Health Grant (closed)

Outagamie County has awarded $1.5 M to Pillars, Inc. and $750,000 to NEW Mental Health Connection to ensure operations of vital behavioral health initiatives in our community. Both Pillars Inc. and NEW Mental Health Connection play crucial roles in addressing behavioral health needs in Outagamie County. These organizations work diligently to manage and reduce the demand for behavioral health services while providing essential support to individuals, families, and other community groups. Each award will be allocated through beneficiary agreements, which ensure effective and accountable use of funds while providing flexibility to each organization to best manage their operations and programs. This investment aims to:

Provide financial support to behavioral health organizations that have faced substantial hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and have yet to stabilize their revenues.
Ensure the continuation of critical services that, if discontinued, would significantly impact Outagamie County residents.
Promote organizations that implement social determinants of health to address behavioral health issues.

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Community Connections Grants (closed)

On August 9, 2022, Outagamie County’s Board of Supervisors voted to invest $2.75 M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars into Behavioral and Mental Health. The County established a competitive program to grant up to $500,000 of these dollars to a non-profit interested in to designing, improving/expanding, or implementing training and/or continuing education programs focused on cultural competency; equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI); and peer-to-peer facilitation and mediation (or similar programs that create support systems). The program should assist with training of staff to provide individuals experiencing mental/behavioral health challenges with better service and care. The grant cycle opened in September of 2023 and closed on January 12, 2024.

Congratulations to Us 2 Behavioral Health Care, Inc. for securing $500,000 to develop and deploy innovative curricula and training programs. These initiatives aim to provide licensed social workers, therapists, and counselors in Outagamie County with essential Continuing Education (CE) sessions to uphold their licenses. Additionally, they will offer Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) training to foster professional growth and enhance outcomes for individuals accessing mental and behavioral health services. This funding will also facilitate the enhancement of existing systems, including technology, equipment, and office infrastructure, to elevate the overall trainee experience.

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Affordable Housing Production and Rehabilitation (closed)

On August 9, 2022, Outagamie County's Board of Supervisors voted to invest $3.5 M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars into Affordable Housing. The County has established a Housing Production and Rehabilitation Grant to invest the remaining $1.5 M. The grant cycle opened in August of 2023 and will close on January 12, 2024.

Congratulations to MF Housing Partners who will receive $1.5 M towards the construction of Archive, a 40-unit workforce housing community situated along Wisconsin Avenue between N Union Street and N Lawe Street. Archive will offer affordable rental opportunities to individuals or families looking to live in the City of Appleton. Among the 40 units, 33 will be restricted for households with incomes at or below 30%, 50%, or 60% of the County Median Income. Notably, nine of these 33 units will be reserved for residents earning at or below 30% of the County Median Income, providing crucial pathways from shelter to stability for families in need.

Residents of Archive will enjoy new, high-quality apartments with underground parking. Other community amenities include a large community room (with free Wi-Fi) and dedicated storage units for each apartment located on every floor. The project will be professionally managed and maintained by an on-site management team. Archive will also be home to a community service facility utilized by Fox Valley Literacy, a local non-profit organization that provides one-on-one adult education for students in the Fox Valley area.

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Workforce Development Grant (closed)

On August 9, 2022 Outagamie County’s Board of Supervisors voted to invest $1 M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars in Economic/Tourism/Workforce Development. The County established a competitive program to grant the funds to an eligible entity, or entities, interested in establishing a workforce development program(s). The grant cycle opened in July of 2023 and will close on October 2, 2023.

Congratulations to our grant recipients:

Riverview Gardens, Inc. who will receive $305,000 to support the Riverview Gardens ServiceWorks® Culinary Program. With a focus on helping individuals with barriers to employment in Outagamie County, this initiative is designed to empower participants and enhance their dignity through job training and employment opportunities. The program encompasses a six-week culinary certification course to prepare individuals for jobs in the food service industry. Following the training program, participants partake in a three-year Placement Success program to receive ongoing support as they navigate their professional pathways.
Children’s Wisconsin who will receive $695,000 to launch a Healthcare Career Exploration, Pathway and Training Program. This initiative is intended to give participants an opportunity to learn about high demand healthcare careers. The program will offer paid work experiences such as apprenticeships and internships in variety of areas such as office clerical, medical assisting, nursing assisting, imaging, respiratory therapy, nursing, and surgical services. Wrap around service will be offered to participants in need of such services. Children’s Wisconsin will partner with agencies and schools that have connections to eligible workers.

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Family Resource Center Grant (closed)

On August 9, 2022 Outagamie County’s Board of Supervisors voted to invest $2.75 M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars in Childcare and Early Childhood Development. The County established a competitive program to grant up to $2 M of these dollars to a non-profit interested in creating a Family Resource Center in Outagamie County. The grant cycle opened in June of 2023 and will close on August 17, 2023.

Congratulations to First 5 Fox Valley (F5FV) who received $2 million to support the development of a Family Resource Center in Outagamie County. The Family Resource Center will bring partner agencies together in a coordinated way to provide strength-based, universal services to families at free or low cost. Services are intended to build parental resilience, foster social connections between families, and support healthy child development. The Family Resource Center is envisioned as a centralized “hub” (main location) with “spokes” (other locations and virtual spaces throughout the county).

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Child Care Services Grant (closed)

On August 9, 2022 Outagamie County’s Board of Supervisors voted to invest $2.75 M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars in Childcare and Early Childhood Development. The County established a competitive program to grant up to $750,000 of these dollars to a non-profit interested in developing a child care shared services program for center- or home-based childcare providers in Outagamie County. The grant cycle opened in June of 2023 and will close on August 17, 2023.

Congratulations to Child Care Resource & Referral, Inc. (CCR&R) who received $750,000 to launch a Child Care Essential Services program. The program will be designed to save childcare providers time and money by centralizing staffing (substitutes), maintenance, janitorial, technological, and educational support services. Proposed services were identified based on an assessment of provider needs and a review of the existing shared services landscape in and beyond the county. Participating providers will be relieved of certain recurring financial expenses, allowing them to focus on establishing financial reserves without increasing tuition for parents.

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Affordable Housing Production Grant (closed)

On August 9, 2022 Outagamie County’s Board of Supervisors voted to invest $3.5 M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars in affordable housing. The County established a competitive grant program, which opened on October 26, 2022, to invest the funds. The program was designed to support the development of housing that will serve low- to moderate-income households. The application deadline for this program closed on June 30, 2023.

Congratulations to our program funding recipients:

RISE Apartments received $1 million for a 48-unit housing community spanning two blocks in downtown Appleton. The project will showcase two different housing types: multi-family (40 units) and townhomes (8 units). It will offer a range of unit sizes: 8 one-bedroom units, 32 two-bedroom units, and 8 three-bedroom units. The project will serve households with a range of incomes: 14 units will be reserved for households earning 65% of County Median Income (CMI) or less, 19 units will be reserved for households earning at or below 50% of CMI, 10 units will be reserved for households earning at or below 30% of CMI, and 5 units will be market-rate.
The Greater Fox Cities Area Habitat for Humanity received $994,148 for a 10-unit scattered site homeownership project. The 10 units funded by the grant award will be single-family detached homes; 7 units will be three-bedroom units and 3 units will be two-bedroom units. Each home will be sold to a household earning at or below 60% of CMI, through 0% interest mortgages. The homes will be located throughout the Fox Cities: one in the City of Kaukauna, one in the Village of Little Chute, four in the City of Appleton, and four in the Town of Grand Chute.

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Broadband Last Mile Grant (closed)

On August 9, 2022, Outagamie County’s Board of Supervisors voted to invest $2.75 M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars into Rural Broadband. The County established a competitive program to grant these dollars to an internet-service provider willing to connect Outagamie County locations (i.e., homes and businesses) with high-speed fiber internet. The grant cycle opened in February of 2024 and closed on April 18, 2024.

Congratulations to Brightspeed for securing $2,693,852 to connect 956 locations across 120 miles in Outagamie County. The project will take about 2.5 years to design and construct. Service to some locations should be available as early as Q1 2026. Service packages will be offered without data caps, without installation fees, and without requiring contracts.

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Outagamie County Board Update 5/28/2024

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Outagamie County Board Update 8/9/2022

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Outagamie Rescue Plan Data Dashboard

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SMALL BUSINESS & NONPROFIT GRANT PROGRAMS NOW CLOSED

SEE SMALL BUSINESS GRANT RECIPIENTS

SEE NONPROFIT GRANT RECIPIENTS

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OUTAGAMIE RESCUE PLAN - COMMUNITY OUTREACH SUMMARY REPORT

Outagamie County initiated a stakeholder & community engagement effort to better assess the impacts of COVID-19 within the community. Outagamie County staff conducted interviews with representatives from organizations directly impacted by COVID 19 and held outdoor workshops in June and July at various parks throughout the County. UW-Oshkosh conducted, on behalf of Outagamie County, two surveys targeted at County households and businesses. The above engagement tools were designed to assist the County in implementing the American Rescue Plan in accordance with the vision, guiding principles and goals established within the Outagamie Rescue Plan framework.

READ THE FULL REPORT!

Outagamie Rescue Plan Final

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law by President Biden on March 11, 2021. This new federal COVID-relief package includes direct funding to counties through the U.S. Treasury Department in order to improve the safety, health and opportunity for all within our communities, with a focus on those most harmed by COVID-19. We have developed the following implementation framework to help guide Outagamie Rescue Plan decision-making as we await further guidance from U.S. Treasury on program rules and requirements.

Vision:

Outagamie Rescue Plan (ORP) implementation advances safety, health and opportunity for all within our communities, with a focus on those most harmed by COVID-19. With an eye toward the future, we plan, design and deliver equitable, interconnected, and community sensitive projects, policies, programs and investments. Our COVID-19 response is developed to ensure resilience, sustainability, and is delivered in a manner that wisely stewards our financial, human, economic and environmental resources. We do so through good governance, collaboration, and creative problem solving.

Guiding Principles:

Advance Health, Safety & Opportunity
Good Governance, Collaboration & Creativity
Sustainability, Resilience & Resource Stewardship
Equitable, Interconnected & Community Sensitive
Targeted, Measurable, and Data Driven
Compliance & Transparency

Goals:

Stabilize and improve the fiscal and economic health of the County, its businesses, households, and other community partners, focusing on those most affected by COVID-19.
Balance internal County budget priorities with the opportunity to make key investments on broader, systemic community issues of concern, highlighted and exacerbated by the pandemic.
Engage a broad swath of community stakeholders, with a particular focus on those most harmed by COVID-19.
Implementation is targeted, delivered efficiently and equitably, and structured in a fiscally responsible manner to ensure long term financial obligations are accounted for and burdens on future/ongoing county operating costs are mitigated.
- Eg. Investing in assets that can minimize or reduce future year’s resources.
Evidence based decision making, and tracking of programmatic and community outcomes.
Address critical/immediate needs, and invest in efforts that ensure long term economic and community health.
Collaboration and creative partnerships within the county and amongst community partners.
Compliance with federal guidance & oversight requirements, providing transparent accountability for internal & external stakeholders.