Another round of ARPA grants has been awarded to several groups in Oklahoma County.
In total, more than 60 subrecipients have received a portion of Oklahoma County’s more than $150 million in ARPA money.
“We’re thankful for ARPA funds,” said April Gonzalez, executive director of Rebuilding Together OKC. “We’re so thankful.”
Gonzalez leads a group, which for a long time, has offered free home repair services for low-income aging Oklahomans.
“COVID-19, like any other organization or company, put everybody behind,” she said. “And a challenge for us with COVID-19 is that senior citizens were basically on lockdown because of their health and for their safety.”
Rebuilding Together OKC, and 10 other organizations, became the newest awardees of ARPA funds at an Oklahoma County Board of Commissioners meeting earlier in October. Gonzalez’ nonprofit received $100,000.
That money, she said, will specifically be spent on a backlog of 55 homes requiring specialized repair work.
“Those types of repairs — they need someone who is much more skilled,” Gonzalez explained. “So we need to hire skilled labor. These people are contracted and licensed to do that job.”