NCPRO Updates
NCPRO Joins the UNC School of Government Hosting Basics of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Course
In October, the UNC School of Government (SOG) and its colleagues NC Pandemic Recovery Office, the NC Association of County Commissioners, NC Department of State Treasurer, NC League of Municipalities, the Regional Councils of Government and others worked together to host a free six-day course to assist units of local government across the state to unpack the American Rescue Plan Act (APRA). The topics covered in the course included allowable expenditures under the ARPA/CLFRF and State law; the application of the Uniform Guidance and other state and federal compliance, reporting and auditing requirements; and identifying best practices in strategic planning, community engagement and outcome evaluation.
More than 1,200 county and municipal officials from jurisdictions of all sizes registered for the course. Those who attended the live sessions (video recordings will be available) have expressed appreciation for the extra guidance and are glad to have a framework to reference as they make expenditure and compliance decisions. The School of Government’s Rebecca Badgett noted that collaboration between the SOG and its colleagues was key to the program’s success: “Each organization offered new ideas and provided extra bandwidth to allow for tailored feedback and practical examples.”
NCPRO staff collaborated with UNC SOG and other colleagues to present and provide guidance during the course sessions. Staff presented an overview of NCPRO, how local governments can use LFRF to address educational and social disparities, water and sewer infrastructure projects, best practices for community engagement, and how all of this can be achieved while complying with U.S. Treasury guidance, State law and the Uniform Guidance.
NCPRO looks forward to continuing to collaborate with these partners and provide assistance and guidance to local governments navigating their funding.
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Housing Corner
The latest from the Office of the Governor...
The N.C. Housing Opportunities and Prevention of Evictions (HOPE) Program marked its Oct. 15 one-year anniversary with more than a half-billion dollars in pandemic relief funds awarded to North Carolina landlords and utility companies on behalf of vulnerable families. In total, HOPE has awarded $520.2 million to 135,213 families with more than $461 million of that amount already paid to landlords and utility providers across the state. The HOPE Program continues to rank #2 in the nation for number of households served, while North Carolina overall ranks #6 for spending of federal Emergency Rental Assistance money. The HOPE Program supports housing stability during the pandemic by preventing evictions and utility service disconnections.
“In its first year, the HOPE Program has helped more than 135,000 North Carolina families stay safe and warm in their homes during the pandemic,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “HOPE will continue to pay landlords and utility companies to keep low-income renters in their homes with the lights on as we recover in the months ahead.”
Read the full press release.
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Economic Update
Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic-Related Assistance Recipients
Figure 3 provides an overview of the number of recipients in the regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) program (Continuing Claims) and in two of the Pandemic-Related programs (PEUC and PUA). The maximum number of recipients for all programs was 768,300 during the final week of May 2020. The maximum number of weekly pandemic related recipients was in July 2020 (410,100). These pandemic-related Federal benefits ended September 4, 2021. Total UI-related recipients have dropped to just over 31,000 – a number that is less than 10,000 above the January-February 2020 pre-pandemic average of 21,700.
Read the full monthly economic update.
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A Word from NCPRO Executive Director Stephanie McGarrah
As of this month, 521 out of 525 Non-Entitlement Units (NEUs) have been disbursed their first tranche of Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (LFRF), a total of $342,638,945.92. I want to recognize and highlight the dedicated and hard work of our staff as they provided one-on-one support to these local governments, answered questions, ensured the completion of all required documentation and disbursed the funds in an efficient and timely manner.
However, the work is not done once the funds have been disbursed. NCPRO staff joined the UNC School of Government this month as they hosted a free, six-day course, "Basics of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)." Several NCPRO staff offered support in the planning stages for the course as well as presenting to the over 1,200 participants. We are grateful for all of our partners and the collaborative work in offering continual guidance to the NEUs.
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Current Opportunities
- Child Tax Credit: Families can visit GetCTC.org to find out if they are eligible for the payments and sign up to get them. As a result of the American Rescue Plan Act, more families with children will now qualify and receive money from the child tax credit. Eligible families who filed a 2019 or 2020 tax return will automatically get the payments.
- Apply for the Emergency Assistance for Nonpublic Schools (EANS) program by November 5. Private K-12 schools may be eligible to receive pandemic-related assistance and services through a second round of the EANS program. Learn more and apply by November 5.
- Know a women- or minority-owned business that needs help recovering from the pandemic? Grants from NCDOA's RETOOLNC program may be able to help. Learn more and apply by November 15.
- The UNC School of Government is piloting ARPA Office Hours for North Carolina local governments. Call in to get your questions answered. Free and no registration required. View the upcoming November Office Hour dates and access the Zoom link.
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Our NC Pros
Each month we will feature the innovative work happening across the state of North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are interested in being featured or know of other groups and stories we can highlight, please contact our Communications Team at NCPRO@osbm.nc.gov.
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NC Rural Center's 2021 Impact Report: Rural Resiliency
The North Carolina Rural Center has published the 2021 Impact Report: Rural Resiliency. According to the NC Rural Center, "This year we took our definition of resilience and expanded it, challenged it, and doubled down on our resolve to secure a more vibrant future for our state’s rural people & places."
Read the impact report and stories of impact about community, economic and future resiliency.
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Outer Banks Tourism Numbers Reflect Dare County's Resilience During the Pandemic
The tourism impact of COVID-10 was felt dramatically throughout the state in 2020, as reflected by a recent study measuring tourism in each of North Carolina’s 100 counties.
In a year that saw a 31.7% drop in statewide tourism spending, the resourcefulness and resilience of Dare County businesses stemmed the tide, posting a modest 2.2% decline – an especially impressive feat considering the destination’s closure to visitors during two months of spring.
“It was one of the most challenging years we’ve ever faced on the Outer Banks,” explains Lee Nettles, Executive Director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. “For our local tourism industry to accomplish what it did, despite the closure, state-mandated capacity limits, and the operational changes forced by a global pandemic is nothing short of remarkable. It’s a tribute to the popularity of the Outer Banks and a testament to the hard work and ingenuity of our local tourism partners.”
Read more.
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Governor Cooper Encourages Eligible Families in North Carolina to Apply for Child Tax Credit Payments
Families should visit GetCTC.org to determine eligibility as soon as possible.
This month many families across North Carolina are receiving an installment of the advance Child Tax Credit federal payment, which provides them with up to half of their total credit and bolsters their income to meet immediate needs for children’s health and well-being. These dollars can immediately improve the food and financial security of families with children at a critical time as they work to recover from the pandemic.
“These funds will make a huge difference in supporting North Carolina families and helping them care for their children,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Millions of eligible families don’t know they qualify to get this credit. We encourage all North Carolina families who have not yet received payments to check right away to see if they qualify.”
As a result of the American Rescue Plan, more families with children will now qualify and receive money from the child tax credit. The law expanded eligibility, increased the amount of the tax credit, and made it fully refundable. This means even families that don’t file taxes or have no or very low income in 2021 can receive the full credit amount. Anyone who has a child with a Social Security number in their household can receive the credit, even if the child’s parent or parents who are living in the household do not have a Social Security number.
Read more about the Child Tax Credit and learn more about eligibility.
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Governor Cooper Announces $805 Million in New Funding for Early Care and Learning Programs
On October 7, 2021 Governor Roy Cooper visited and toured the Community School for People Under Six in Carrboro where he announced a historic, one-time federal $805 million investment in North Carolina’s early care and learning child care programs. The North Carolina Child Care Stabilization Grants, made possible by funding from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, will support working families with access to high-quality, affordable child care. The grants will also help early care and learning programs with recruitment and retention, enabling them to provide better wages and benefits to teachers, and promoting equity for all—children, parents, and teachers.
“The past year has emphasized how critical early child care is for children’s development and parents who need to work. This help for quality child care will get more parents back into the workforce,” said Governor Cooper. “Available and accessible child care is a critical component of a sound basic education for our children.”
Read the full press release.
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Visit the NCDHHS COVID-19 Response website for more information about
COVID-19 data, guidelines, testing, vaccines and more.
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