Finding Work, Finding Hope: Guide to Getting Stimulus Dollars
Finding Work, Finding Hope:A Step-by-Step Guide to Get Your Community Stimulus Dollars (and Jobs!)While the federal recovery package has propped up plummeting local, state, and national economies, low-income people and communities of color are asking: Where is our investment? Where is the help for those hit hardest by the recession? Have our communities missed the boat? The simple answer is that the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) has only just begun to bear fruit – and there are still many ways left for communities to benefit. Keep in mind that only about $340 billion of $787 billion from the Recovery Act is currently circulating in the economy. The rest remains to be spent. While some of the dollars have been slow to reach the ground, we must remember that we are only 10 months into implementing a Recovery Act aimed at keeping the nation from falling into another Great Depression. The bulk of spending has always been targeted for 2010, which means that suffering communities can still work to get some of the jobs or investments they need. (See chart for breakdown of projected recovery spending by year.) Even though the recovery is still in its relatively early stages, these first months have helped to stabilize the public services that are vital for low-income people like Medicaid, unemployment insurance, and community health centers. Over the coming months, shovel-ready projects and social service programs will continue to create and retain jobs. But for low-income people and communities of color to see the benefits they need to recover, community groups, residents, and community leaders will have to band together to demand an equitable way forward. There is still time to strengthen your community through the Recovery Act. This report provides step-by-step instructions on how you can bring recovery dollars to your street, your neighborhood, your city, and your region.
The Recovery Act has laid a strong foundation for future growth and recovery. While the recovery funding is a fast-moving train, many grantees have yet to make decisions about whom to contract with, whom to hire, and which projects to invest in. These are all opportunities to direct resources and business to low-income people and people of color. Equity should be the target for a recovery that is inclusive and lifts up all Americans.
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