Detroit city officials break down funding spent from American Rescue Plan Act
Detroit received about $827 million through the American Rescue Plan Act, a once-in-a-generation infusion of federal funds designed to help cities recover from the pandemic.
The city says that money went toward affordable housing, home repairs, youth jobs, parks, homeless services, recreation centers and workforce development.
Deputy CFO Terri Daniels says some of the biggest impacts can be seen in programs that were expanded or didn't exist before ARPA funding.
"This was once-in-a-lifetime funding that has an end, but we tried to make sure that we could touch every Detroiter," said Daniels.
Daniels says the city has spent about $745 million so far, with about $80 million currently being allocated ahead of the Dec. 31 spending deadline. But whether Detroiters feel the impact of that money may depend on what they were hoping to see.
Councilmember Denzel McCampbell, who chairs the city council's budget, finance and audit committee, says residents should look at what programs were actually funded and how they impacted daily life.
"How has it improved their quality of life in our neighborhoods, in their cost of living, like when it comes to jobs that have been created with ARPA dollars, when it comes to adequate housing that folks may have been able to have?" said McCampbell.
Daniels says the city understands some residents may still feel their neighborhoods haven't changed enough, but says the city never expected one-time federal money to fix everything overnight.
"There's still a long way to go. This money wasn't going to fix everything, but it sure gave us a really good head start," said Daniels.
For some Detroiters, the biggest question may now be what happens when the federal money runs out.
"These are programs that are needed year-round. They're needed beyond the pandemic, and we are having those conversations and putting into effect with those amendments, but also with the budget that we recently passed," said McCampbell.
