Community Organizations Share $1M in ARPA Assistance

(Brown County, Wis.) – Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach announced the grant award recipients as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for relief to community members recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Brown County Board of Supervisors and myself agree that the grant funds can help those most impacted by the pandemic,” says Streckenbach. “We believe one effective way to do so is through our community’s nonprofit organizations who assist families and other individuals.”

Brown County’s Health and Human Services Department oversaw the grant application process for sharing $1 million in ARPA funds allocated by the Brown County Board of Supervisors as part of the 2022 budget. In all, 16 different nonprofit organizations will receive funding that will benefit the community in myriad ways.

“There were a number of impactful, creative proposals that we were excited to receive and recommend for approval, says Brown County Health and Human Services Executive Director Jeremy Kral. “The community partners in attendance today will be applying these resources to directly improve the lives of Brown County residents. Our local nonprofit community and projects like these are vital threads in our community’s social fabric.”

“It’s important for us as community leaders to assist those most in need in the wake of the pandemic,” says Emily Jacobson, Brown County Supervisors and Chair of the Human Services Committee. “These funds will help touch the lives of families and people that Brown County may not be able to.”

Four of those nonprofits joined Brown County in announcing receipt of the funds and what they will be used for. Here is a quick summary of those 4 groups:

  1. Brown County Oral Health Partnership – $60,000 – Increase access to dental care by purchasing three (3) dental chairs and associated equipment.
  2. Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin – $46,830 – Funding to support start-up costs for their Mental Health Access Project with two (2) in-training therapists.
  3. Golden House, Inc., Safe Home – $100,000 – Rental and mortgage assistance to survivors of domestic violence preventing episodic, traumatic crisis from developing into chronic housing instability and poverty.
  4. Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay, Inc. – $100,000 – Embedding a mental health counselor into Club staff in collaboration with Family Services. Counselor to provide training and mentorship to staff, socio-emotional learning group, individualized guidance, and referral.

“Family Services Mental Health Access Project will add 2 resident level therapists to our counseling team, supporting their training and supervision to expand critical access to mental health therapy,” says Lois Mischler, President/CEO of Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin. “These new providers will create additional access to approximately 400 community members able to provide nearly 4,000 additional therapy sessions over the next 2 years.”

“Mental health is foundational to the work we do at Club,” says Lisa Kogan-Praska, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay. “In order for a child to learn and grow, they must first know that they are safe, feel like they are heard, and believe that they belong. This grant will allow Club to fully integrate mental health therapists into our Clubhouses and after school programs.”

“Our Safe Home program is based on the Domestic Violence housing first model, which has three components: mobile advocacy, flexible financial assistance, and community engagement,” says Cheeia Lo, Executive Director of Golden House. “The funds will be used directly to pay rental assistance, eviction prevention, safety and security equipment, food, car repairs or any other barriers that prevent a victim from being self-sufficient.”

“This funding will be used to purchase three new dental chairs and delivery units so that more children can receive desperately needed dental care,” says Michael Schwartz, Executive Director for Brown County Oral Health Partnership. “The pandemic slowed access to dental care for all people, but the children served by OHP were especially impacted when schools were partially or full shut down. The new dental equipment will help children catch up with the cleanings and dental work so that they can have healthy, pain-free smiles.”

Below are the remaining awards to twelve (12) community nonprofit organizations:

  • ASPIRO, Inc. – $30,000
  • Baird Creek Preservation Foundation – $20,000
  • Bellin Health Foundations – $100,000
  • Connections for Mental Wellness – $35,000
  • CP Center, Inc. – $100,000
  • Encompass Early Education and Care – $100,000
  • Green Bay YMCA – $91,848
  • Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin & UP – $9,000
  • NEW Community Shelter – $13,000
  • Options for Independent Living – $30,000
  • Rawhide Youth Services – $100,000
  • Salvation Army of Green Bay – $40,000
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