DEVELOPED WITH CITIES LIKE YOURS IN MIND
THE ARP TOOLKIT
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) provides $130 billion in federal funding directly to local governments. This unprecedented level of aid will help communities across the US shape their recovery from the COVID-19 recession. Local leaders should view the arrival of ARP funds as a critical opportunity to make investments that both encourage recovery and accelerate progress towards long-term goals. In the Southeast, the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 exacerbated structural inequalities. Our region’s local governments should direct their ARP funds towards strategic and sustainable recovery initiatives that benefit all community members.
HOW OUR TOOLKIT HELPS
SEAP’s new ARP toolkit for South Strong Cities includes a range of resources to help local governments meet these goals:
Accountability
Model legislation and reporting strategies that help South Strong Cities commit to accountability and transparency as they deploy and report on the use of recovery funds.
Equitable Recovery
South Strong Cities can draw from other cities’ real-time examples to build their own local recovery programs and initiatives.
Community Engagement
Information to guide South Strong Cities on incorporating community voice and public engagement into ARP spending decisions.
NEWEST RESOURCES & TOOLS
Civic Engagement + Outreach Tools
To assist local leaders searching for more effective ways to engage with their communities, our ARP Assistance Team developed this resource that provides 1.) Toplines that highlight different tools and their features’, 2.) Case Studies giving examples of tools in use, and 3.) Resource Links to tools websites’.
ARP Equity & Engagement News
Our ARP Assistance Team now offers an interactive dashboard that tracks ARP spending news, focused on examples of community engagement and equity initiatives. The examples in our map present a particular focus on our 12 states. If your city or organization would like to feature your ARP initiatives, please email our team.
MORE FROM TOOLKIT
To help accelerate good State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLRF) spending practices in communities of all sizes, the our ARP Assistance Team continuously identifies leading examples of community engagement approaches and equity outcomes prioritizations. This report highlights a selection of cities that local leaders can look to for real-time examples.
SEAP has drafted a model resolution for cities, towns, and counties that:
– Prioritizes the use of ARP funds for initiatives that drive sustainable and equitable recovery.
– Commits to community engagement as part of the decision-making for ARP funds, emphasizing obtaining input from disadvantaged groups.
– Commits to a high degree of accountability and transparency in reporting on the use of ARP funds.
– Commits to developing measures that allow the community to assess outcomes and results from ARP funds usage.
The ARP Assistance Team has also produced a series of Grab-n-Go Policies that give community leaders a blueprint of policies that can tackle pressing challenges many communities face. Click below to view a complete list of available briefs.
The right way to begin ARP decision-making is with meaningful and proactive public engagement for cities large and small. In particular, this outreach needs to include intentional engagement with the diverse and disadvantaged populations that suffered the most significant impacts from the pandemic.
recovery initiatives.
It goes without saying the COVID pandemic severely impacted every community, some more than others. Now, as ARP dollars flow in, there’s a significant opportunity to not only reverse economic damages but also create a more equitable and just foundation. To do that, local governments must be willing to put community voices at the forefront of decision-making, especially when telling their recovery story.
Developed by the SouthStrong’s ARP Assistance Team, the How to Tell Your City’s Recovery Story resource provides local governments with a step-by-step guide on reporting how they plan to spend ARP dollars.
Our ARP Toolkit One-Pager resource is a condensed version of this webpage and all the resources we have available. For easy sharing, your team can download and share out this one-pager by clicking here. Be sure to check back for updates and new informational kits.
@the_seap is committed to building a knowledge exchange so South Strong Cities can share strategies, challenges, and success stories. Working together, SEAP can help leading-edge communities leverage their capacity and accelerate local recovery initiatives.
CONNECT WITH OUR TEAM
Tyler Bellstrom and Morgan Smith are leading South Strong’s ARP consulting work. The team is available to local and states leaders, advocates and activists as well as organizations interested in learning more about the American Rescue Plan. Along with digital resources, our team stands ready to provide technical assistance and networking opportunities regarding ARP.
The team can be reached at southstrong@rooseveltinstitute.org.