City Mission Living Stones, Fayette County Community Action Agency and Salvation Army of Uniontown will use the funding to better serve their communities.
Uniontown, PA - The Fayette County Emergency Food and Shelter Board recently received nearly $300,000 in federal funding to support local service organizations.
Board Chairman Roy Shipley, who also serves as the Fayette County Emergency Management Agency Director, said the group has received an annual allotment from the national United Way for decades, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) budget. For 2022, that funding totaled $71,021.
“We want people to know that that funding is there and being used to support a variety of human service programs throughout the county,” Shipley said. “We also want to share that the board received some additional funding this year from ARPA.”
The federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 was primarily designed as an immediate relief package for American citizens. It also aims to help local governments recover from losses incurred during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic through its State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program (SLFRF).
The Emergency Food and Shelter Board received $219,510 in ARPA funding. Shipley said that funding is “completely separate from and not part of” the anticipated $25 million in ARPA funding that Fayette County stands to receive over the next few years.
Upon receipt of funding, Shipley said, eligible organizations can apply for grants to use in administering a variety of local programs, including food pantries; rent, mortgage and utility assistance; emergency and mass shelter; and more.
For 2022, the Emergency Food and Shelter Board awarded all funding to the Fayette County Community Action Agency, City Mission Living Stones and Salvation Army of Uniontown.
“They’ll use that funding to address some of the needs that are still there from the pandemic,” Shipley said. “I believe the Salvation Army uses it to fund their daily soup kitchen for the year.”
Shipley said not many people know about the federal grant funding, because the board primarily exists as an administrator for the funding and resource network for organizations during disasters and other states of emergency.
In addition to Shipley, current board membership includes the Fayette County Community Action Agency, Catholic Charities, the American Red Cross, City Mission Living Stones, United Way of Fayette County, Salvation Army of Uniontown, representatives from the local Jewish community, Fayette County Human Services and a person who formerly has or is currently experiencing homelessness.
Shipley said annual funds must be used by Dec. 31, 2022, but the ARPA funding’s administrative window spans Nov. 1, 2021 to April 23, 2023.
County officials are still working with financial consultants to develop future usage plans for Fayette’s impending ARPA funding.
To learn more about the Fayette County Emergency Food and Shelter Board, visit https://www.cacfayettecounty.org/emergency-food-and-shelter-board. To learn more about the American Rescue Plan Act, visit https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus.
To learn more about Fayette County, visit www.FayetteCountyPA.org.
Editor's Note: Photo attached
(Roy Shipley) Fayette County Emergency Food and Shelter Board Chairman Roy Shipley, who also serves as the Fayette County Emergency Management Agency Director, said the group has received an annual allotment from the national United Way for decades, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) budget.
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This communication, among other initiatives, is funded through the 2016 Fayette County Local Share Account (LSA) in cooperation with the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Fayette Chamber of Commerce, The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Fayette, The Redstone Foundation and other partners. This funding has been designated for the continued promotion and marketing of Fayette County, PA.
For more information, contact Kristi Rooker Kassimer, Public Relations Specialist, at 412-691-0262, kkassimer@fayettecountypa.info or Kaylie Moore, Community Relations Coordinator, at 724-430-1200 Ext. 1611, kmoore@fayettepa.org.
