American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

The City of Cranston is receiving $42.6 million in federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) to help Cranston to be better prepared for future emergencies like COVID-19. See below for more details on how the money must be used.

Community Input for Cranston’s ARPA Funding

The City is required by law to gather public input before deciding how to use the funds.  Two special City Council meetings have been scheduled for this purpose.  The first meeting took place on January 27.  The second meeting takes place on February 10 at 6 PM.  The meeting will be held remotely and will be accessible on-line or by phone. 

This is your chance to make your voice heard about where this funding should be spent!

Make Your Voice Heard on February 10 at 6 PM!

Use this link to get to the instructions for how to join the meeting by phone or on-line.

If you cannot attend the meetings, you can always contact your council members directly. You can utilize this brief guide for information on how to contact your city council members along with a few tips for effective advocacy.

To see how the 63 people Cranston Forward surveyed said they wanted the city to prioritize the funding, read through our COVID-19 Survey Results here.

Report From the January 27th Meeting

60 Cranston residents attended the first City Council ARPA meeting, and 18 spoke.   While some mentioned tree planting, childcare providers, pandemic planning, business interruption insurance, and flood mitigation, most advocated for funding safe, affordable housing. 

Here’s what some of our neighbors had to say:  Harrison Tuttle: nearly half of Cranston residents are “cost-burdened” by housing costs and 70 children in Cranston are currently homeless.  Susan Kelly: we should invest in low-income housing and/or lead line replacement.  Amy Rainone: overcrowding housing was unsafe during the pandemic and posed a barrier to learning for students during remote school.  Use ARPA funds to rehab old housing stock and incentivize landlords to accept rent vouchers.  Giona Balvega: Cranston has for too long ignored its legal and moral responsibility to expand affordable housing.  Annette Bourne: tens of thousands of Cranston housing units built before 1980 need lead remediation and energy efficiency upgrades.  Former Councilman Steve Stycos: 26 children entered kindergarten this year with lead poisoning; the City should hire an inspector just for lead inspections. Kristina Brown:  use ARP fund to help low-income Cranston seniors maintain their homes.  Arriana Cunha, of Sunrise RI Youth, who also supported affordable housing investments, challenged us to envision the City we want to live in. 

What is the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)? 

On March 11, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., signed the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA”) into law - a $1.9 Trillion-dollar appropriation aimed at accelerating the national recovery from the effects of the pandemic by

  1. Supporting urgent COVID-19 response efforts to continue to decrease the spread of the virus and bring the pandemic under control,

  2. Replacing lost revenue for eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to strengthen support for vital public services and help retain jobs,

  3. Supporting immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses,

  4. Addressing systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the unequal impact of the pandemic.

$350 Billion-dollars of APRA funds are allocated to “Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds”, of which Cranston will receive $42.6 million dollars to 

  1. Support public health expenditures, by, for example, funding COVID-19 mitigation efforts, medical expenses, behavioral healthcare, and certain public health and safety staff.

  2. Address negative economic impacts caused by the public health emergency, including economic harm to workers, households, small businesses, impacted industries, and the public sector.

  3. Replace lost public sector revenue, using this funding to provide government services to the extent of the reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic. 

  4. Provide premium pay for essential workers, offering additional support to those who have and will bear the greatest health risks because of their service in critical infrastructure sectors.

  5. Invest in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure, making necessary investments to improve access to clean drinking water, support vital wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and to expand access to broadband internet.