First round of American Rescue Plan funds allocated by Allegheny County Council

The $380 million that Allegheny County will receive from the federal government under the American Rescue Plan Act will improve programs that help people who need it most, Allegheny County Councilman DeWitt Walton said Tuesday.

“These dollars really begin to address many of the challenges that we’re confronted with in our society,” Walton told his colleagues as they approved the initial allocations during Tuesday’s county council meeting.

The $32.5 million allocated to Allegheny County’s rental assistance program, $10 million to children’s programs and $9 million to mental health crisis prevention and response programs represent necessary investments that will help people, Walton said.

“Crafting a plan for these funds is an immense responsibility,” county Manager William D. McKain said in a statement. “It has been a delicate balance to ensure that we are being fiscally responsible while also meeting the needs of our community.”

The county will receive $380 million, half of which — $190 million — was received this year. Another $190 million is expected in 2022.

On Tuesday, council authorized spending for this year. It will approve further allocations in the future as the money must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by Dec. 31, 2026.

The $5 million to volunteer fire departments and emergency medical services will provide $25,000 each to about 200 agencies in the county. The money will be distributed when each agency submits a plan for how it will use the money.

The money will offset the financial shortfalls the departments face because of decreases in other fundraising efforts such as bingos, hall rentals and dinners that were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The county also will dedicate $18.25 million for new communications equipment for public safety agencies.

The $10 million for the Children’s Fund will help support child care programs in the county. Their needs “became very evident” during the pandemic, according to a statement from the county.

Mental health crisis prevention and response programs will receive $9 million. The need for such services also became more evident during the pandemic, as there was a 50% increase in the number of people needing help, according to the Western Psychiatric Diagnostic Evaluation Center.

The county has seven mobile teams that respond to people in crisis. With the additional funding, the county will be able to add mobile teams to focus on areas with greater needs.

The allocations were approved by county council with no one voting in opposition. Councilwoman Bethany Hallam abstained because she said she hadn’t received a detailed breakdown of the allocations.