Counties allocate relief funds to help communities
To help alleviate some of the hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Yuba, Sutter and Colusa counties have allocated large chunks of relief funds for the communities. Here’s what each county has been doing:
Yuba County
Jason Kopping, leader of the YES (Yuba Enterprise Solutions) Team, said Yuba County has put $1.2 million of CARES Act funding back into the community in the form of relief grants.
According to Kopping, the Yuba County Board of Supervisors approved a $250,000 childcare relief grant program; a $150,000 nonprofit relief grant program; $330,000 to supplement the ongoing Yuba-sutter Food Bank Homebound Food Delivery program; and a $500,000 Small Business Economic Resiliency grant.
“We believe those recipients appreciated the funding help they needed to keep operating their businesses,” said Kopping. “What’s important is sustainability – so by all of us doing our parts to keep from getting others sick, we will continue to see our businesses opening up further and operating safely.”
Kopping said the YES Team’s sole focus is working with businesses to ensure they have the information, tools, and support they need to operate successfully.
“Yuba County and the YES Team plan to continue supporting our community in any way we can: ensuring the safety and wellness of our residents while empowering our businesses to safely operate and continue serving the community,” said Kopping.
Sutter County
Chuck Smith, public information officer for Sutter County, said CARES funding was relatively slow to flow into Sutter County, so the county has been conservative with spending thus far.
“We’ve previously provided about $20,000 to the local Food Bank and another $10,000 to help downtown Yuba City restaurants to quickly move to outdoor dining,” said Smith. “In addition, we funded a $600,000 grant program providing grants of up to $10,000 to local businesses that were affected by the state’s July public health orders that closed many of our local businesses.”
Smith said the county has committed $4 million to community support and $1 million to temporary and long-term housing and supports to prevent the spread of COVID in the homeless population as well.
“The remainder of the county’s $10.27 million allocation is used for the cost of the county’s response efforts, including support for public health, fire, and law enforcement,” said Smith.
According to Smith, the county has also provided up to $762,000 to families who have increased daycare costs due to school closures.
“Qualifying families must meet income eligibility requirements and can receive up to $2,100 per family in reimbursements,” said Smith.
On Sept. 29, the Sutter County Board of Supervisors approved
$2.3 million in additional funding for community grants, including
$1.5 million for small business grants and $800,000 for nonprofit organizations. Those grants were available through the Yuba
Sutter Economic Development Corporation.
Brynda Stranix, executive director of Yuba-sutter Economic Development Corporation, said the businesses that have received funding are overall doing fairly well.
“Some are prospering beyond prior years and some are still struggling,” said Stranix.
Stanix said Sutter County is currently accepting applications for a second round of grant funding for businesses and nonprofits, something she said will be helpful for the institutions.
“Up to $20,000 each will go a long way to make many of them ‘whole’” said Stranix.
Grant applications are open now through October 23. Applications can be found at https://www.ysedc. org/covid-19-business-resources.
According to Smith, the county will receive the latest update of CARES funding next week.
Colusa County
The Colusa County Board of Supervisors approved a CARES Act spending plan in August to utilize the $2.2 million dollars allotted to the county by the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A large portion of the funds – $1 million – was allocated to four community investment programs, including one dedicated to small business support.
“The goal of the grant program is to provide a temporary source of emergency capital to help local businesses sustain operations and address COVID-19 related financial impacts,” it was stated in a release issued by the county.
Since approved, the county has distributed more than $200,000 to local businesses, including many within the cities of Colusa and Williams.
Due to the significant amount of funds allocated, the county announced on Oct. 2 that businesses with 25 or fewer employees are eligible for up to $10,000 additional grant funding during a second round of grant funding, according to the release.
Businesses with fewer than five employees that applied for the first round of grant funding are also eligible for an additional $5,000.
“All businesses that were required to close due to state health orders that were unable to apply during the first round of funding are eligible for up to an additional $10,000,” read the release.
According to the release, the maximum combined grant award amount from the two rounds of CRF Business Grant Program funding is $20,000.