Treasury, Blog Post (April 2024 Reporting Blog Post)

Summary

Treasury's April 2024 Reporting Data Analysis of the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF), covering data through March 31, 2024. States and the largest cities and counties reported budgeting 94% of their SLFRF funds to specific projects, and reported projects grew 23% from the previous period. Recipients reported nearly $320 billion in pandemic lost revenue; more than 21,000 governments were budgeting nearly $131 billion of SLFRF funds to replace it, across more than 80,000 projects. Treasury reports that money budgeted for long-term affordable housing rose 65% to $7.5 billion, supporting more than 27,000 units. In March 2024 Treasury issued guidance expanding the affordable housing projects presumptively eligible for SLFRF money. Treasury notes that its examples come from recipients' reports and do not constitute approval of those projects.

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  State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds: Supporting Equitable Recovery
            and Building Resilience for Stronger Communities
               State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds April 2024 Reporting Data Analysis
President Biden’s American Rescue Plan is helping communities across the country recover from
the COVID-19 pandemic and grow their economies. The State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds
(SLFRF) program, a major facet of the American Rescue Plan, provides funding to states,
territories, Tribes, and local governments to support economic recovery, job creation, workforce
expansion, and access to healthy, safe, and affordable housing. Today, the SLFRF program is
making a difference in nearly every community across the country.
In the latest data submitted to the Treasury Department, through March 31, 2024, recipients
continue to report progress in executing on their planned uses of SLFRF award funds. States and
the largest cities and counties have reported budgeting 94% of their total SLFRF funds to specific
projects, with the total number of reported projects growing 23% since the previous reporting
period, demonstrating continued steady progress in recipients’ planning for the use of these
funds.1
The data continue to show that by helping state and local governments replace lost revenue,
the SLFRF program has helped local leaders avoid steep budget cuts. Using their SLFRF award
funds, governments maintain key services and infrastructure, such as public transportation
connecting workers to jobs and emergency services.2 As of March 31, 2024, SLFRF recipients
reported nearly $320 billion in lost revenue resulting from the pandemic. A significant portion
of this revenue shortfall is being made up for with SLFRF funds. More than 21,000 participating
governments reported that they are budgeting nearly $131 billion in SLFRF funds to help
replace this lost revenue, funding more than 80,000 projects to provide fiscal stability in their
jurisdictions.
The data illustrate that the American Rescue Plan prevented severe cuts to public services and
helped state, territorial, Tribal, and local governments swiftly resume normal operations. In
addition to responding to the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, governments are
investing SLFRF funds to address long-standing structural challenges in the economy that the
pandemic surfaced and exacerbated, especially the need to increase the availability of
affordable housing and invest in their workforces.



1 The U.S. Department of the Treasury continues to regularly release SLFRF reporting data received from recipients. This

includes the most recent data submitted by quarterly reporters in April 2024, representing spending through March 31, 2024,
which is available on Treasury’s SLFRF dashboard. The summary statistics in this blog post reflect these data, as well as the data
from annual reporters submitted in April 2024, representing spending through March 31, 2024. Tribally reported information is
included in aggregate statistics about the SLFRF program (e.g., the total number of governments using funds for a specific
eligible use, total projects reported); however due to privacy considerations, Treasury does not release complete information
on all Tribal projects.
2 State and local governments were forced to cut budgets due to the 2008 Great Recession resulting in reductions in services

and slowing the economic recovery. Remarks by Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen at National Association of Counties
2023 Legislative Conference | U.S. Department of the Treasury

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 Key SLFRF Investments through March 31, 2024, for State, Local, Territorial, and
                             Tribal Governments3
                                                                      Reported             Number of              Number of
                                                                       Funds              Governments              Projects
                          Category                                    Budgeted              Pursuing              Reported
 Housing: Emergency Aid, Affordable Housing,
                                                                      $19.6 Billion              975                      3,342
 Homelessness

 Infrastructure: Water, Sewer, and Broadband                          $34.6 Billion             3,503                    16,718

 COVID-19 Public Health Response**                                    $11.6 Billion             1,709                     6,740

 Worker Support: Unemployment Aid, Job
 Training, Public Sector Workforce, Essential                         $13.1 Billion             2,054                     4,423
 Worker Premium Pay

 Small Business Assistance                                                $5 Billion             734                      1,713

 Childcare and Early Learning                                           $1.5 Billion             283                         513
**Includes vaccinations, testing, contact tracing, personal protective equipment, prevention in congregate
facilities, medical expenses, and other public health measures.



The following examples come from data reported by SLFRF recipients to the Treasury
Department.4 These examples provide a snapshot of the types of projects that recipients are
implementing across key eligible use categories of SLFRF funds.5




Increasing the Number of Affordable Homes
Investing in and expanding access to affordable homes is a key goal of the Treasury Department
and the Biden-Harris Administration. Governments across the country are leveraging SLFRF
award funds to construct new homes and rehabilitate or repair existing ones. Treasury
encourages jurisdictions to consider using their SLFRF funds to support housing stability, the
construction and preservation of new affordable homes, or to supplement other American

3 This chart includes the most recent project and expenditure reporting received by Treasury for quarterly and annual reporters.

Specifically, it includes data reported by quarterly reporters (states, territories, and metro cities and counties with a population
over 250,000 or an allocation more than $10 million; Tribal governments with an allocation more than $30 million; and non-
entitlement units of local government allocated more than $10 million) through March 31, 2024, and data received from annual
reporters (metro cities, counties, and non-entitlement units of local government with populations less than 250,000 and an
allocation less than $10 million, and Tribal governments with an allocation less than $30 million) through March 31, 2024.
4 The examples included throughout this post are based on recipients’ reports, and their inclusion in this document does not

constitute approval of these projects by Treasury.
5 This analysis includes data from Project and Expenditure reports covering the period ending March 31, 2024. Recipients file

either annually or quarterly based on population and allocation size.

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Rescue Plan programs aiding renters and homeowners, such as the Emergency Rental Assistance
program and the Homeowner Assistance Fund. In the summer of 2022, Treasury expanded the
flexibility for recipients to use their SLFRF funds to invest in making homes more affordable. Since
then, spending on affordable housing continues to accelerate. Compared to data from July 2022,
SLFRF funds budgeted for long-term affordable housing stability, preservation, and construction
increased by 65% to a total of $7.5 billion, and this funding is supporting more than 27,000 units
of affordable housing. Since last quarter, communities have increased their SLFRF budgets for
housing investment by 3%. In March 2024, Treasury announced new guidance to substantially
expand the universe of affordable housing projects presumptively eligible to be funded through
SLFRF. As Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo noted in a blog post, this includes housing that meets
the needs of teachers, firefighters, nurses, and other workers increasingly priced out of certain
markets. And in June 2024, Treasury updated its Affordable Housing How-To Guide explaining
how recipients can apply this new guidance in their projects.
The following are a sample of activities being undertaken by SLFRF recipients to increase the
supply of affordable homes:
The City of Grand Rapids, Michigan is using approximately $5 million to improve an existing 10-
unit affordable rental development for seniors and to construct 10 additional units. The 10
existing units are available to households with income at or below 50% of the Area Median
Income (AMI), and the 10 new units will be available to households with income at or below 60%
of AMI.
Harris County, Texas is budgeting nearly $11 million for the Harris County Treasury ARPA Single
Family Reconstruction Program. This program has been designed to preserve up to 40 affordable
single-family housing units owned by low-to-moderate income households residing in Harris
County by providing funds for reconstruction of owner-occupied single-family homes.
The Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe estimates that there is a housing shortage
of nearly 500 homes in the community. In addition to addressing overcrowding, the housing
shortage makes attracting workers such as teachers, healthcare workers, and other professionals
a challenge. The Tribe invested SLFRF funds to build a 40-unit apartment building with one and
two-bedroom units.
Maricopa County, Arizona is investing nearly $11 million to develop a high-density, mixed-
income and mixed-use urban development. The project will require a minimum of 50% affordable
housing as a way to help the community meet its affordable housing strategy and the goals of its
Hometown For All initiative.
The State of Ohio is leveraging $15 million for a Habitat for Humanity workforce housing
development grant program. A maximum of $50,000 can be used on the construction or
rehabilitation of an individual house. Once completed, homes will be sold to a household that
has an income below 80% of AMI.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is utilizing $100 million to help continue affordable housing
production in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania including, but not limited to, building new

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units, rehabbing existing properties to make them affordable housing units, or preserving existing
affordable units.
The State of Rhode Island is allocating $27 million to provide zero interest, long-term loans of at
least 20-years to finance the production and preservation of housing affordable to households
earning less than 50% of AMI.
The Rosebud Sioux Tribe is investing SLFRF funds in several substantial housing projects on its
reservation, which spans 922,759 acres in South Dakota. The Tribe is tackling housing shortages
and overcrowding by becoming its own builder. The Tribe is utilizing a Tribal business to
manufacture homes, which is also creating jobs for the community. The 33,600 square foot
manufactured home facility has the capacity to build as many as 48 homes for low-income
families each year.
St. Johns County, Florida is using $1 million for a 92-unit new construction affordable housing
apartment community called Village of New Augustine. The complex will also include a
community center with a computer lab, library, and space for workshops and training. The total
project cost is $25 million. SLFRF funding will be used for land acquisition and infrastructure
costs.



Enhancing the American Workforce


Another area of investment of SLFRF funds is supporting and expanding the workforce in
response to the negative economic impacts of the pandemic in communities across the country.
Primary areas of workforce investment include helping impacted workers enter in-demand
careers, with a particular focus on assisting people who face barriers to employment. In addition,
these investments are providing communities with tools and resources to ensure that Americans
can get the skills they need to take advantage of the jobs created by President Biden’s Investing
in America agenda. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the
Inflation Reduction Act are expanding economic opportunity to urban and rural communities in
every corner of the United States, and the SLFRF program's investments in workforce
development are making sure that those opportunities are available to American workers –
regardless of having a college degree.
The following are a sample of workforce projects reported by SLFRF recipients:
The State of Colorado is budgeting $3 million for two programs: the Training & Up-skilling Relief
Grant Program, and the New Hires Training Grant Program. The Training and Up-Skilling grant
program distributes funding directly to employers via the Community College system who were
unable to provide their employees with the opportunity to gain the skills necessary to perform
the basic skills in their roles and/or advance in their careers. The New Hires Training Grant
Program targets businesses to train new hires who were either unemployed prior to the

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pandemic or lost employment during the pandemic and provide them skills-based training and
hiring opportunities.
Lincoln City, Nebraska is allocating $400,000 for their Greater Workforce Development Program
to provide a comprehensive Tractor-Trailer Commercial Driver's License (CDL) training program.
The State of Nebraska is leveraging nearly $800,000 for the Alliance Powerline Classroom Project.
This project consists of two new classrooms that will allow for expansion of the Powerline
Construction and Maintenance Technology program that will address the anticipated need for
linemen in the State’s Panhandle. This project addresses key industry needs in a high wage, high
skill, and high demand occupation while also addressing effects of an aging workforce and
nonretirement attritions, exacerbated by conditions created by the pandemic and the demands
placed on the industry and in the Panhandle.
Niagara County, New York is utilizing over $1.7 million for Niagara County Community College to
construct a welding and metal working laboratory environment of approximately 4,000 square
feet in order to facilitate degree and non-degree learning opportunities.
Oklahoma County, Oklahoma is using $100,000 to design, develop, and implement a business
incubator/accelerator hub that nurtures the entrepreneurial ambitions of individuals with
disabilities in Oklahoma County. The Hub will initially focus on reaching the 350,000 individuals
with disabilities in Oklahoma, Canadian, Cleveland, and McClain counties. The incubator will
utilize Oklahoma County’s unique workforce environment to incorporate remote work, supply
chain collaboration, and community integration with feasible work accommodations fostering
self-advocacy and self-employment for individuals with disabilities.
Snohomish County, Washington is budgeting $439,000 for students and young adults to build
skills in natural resources, construction, and maintenance, which are the primary occupations in
the rural area. The program partners with the U.S. Forest Service and other organizations to
perform trail work, restoration activities, forest and wildlife monitoring, and maintenance and
renovation of Forest Service-owned buildings while receiving on-the-job training that will help
qualify participants for employment with these agencies and organizations, as well as other local
employers.



Strengthening Small Businesses


SLFRF recipients have invested in a wide variety of programs that support small businesses’ role
as key employers and drivers of local economies, utilizing federal funds to sustain the continued
record growth in small business creation. Through March 31, 2024, governments have budgeted
more than $5 billion for more than 1,700 projects to support small businesses and small business
development.


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Examples of small business projects reported by SLFRF recipients include the following:
The State of Delaware is using $200,000 to establish an incubator in the Fin Tech Innovation Hub
at the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus. The mission is to support underserved or emerging
entrepreneurs working on solutions to improve financial health and equity for lower to middle
income populations and communities. This population was most severely impacted by Covid.
By the end of the program, the Hub expects to be working with 15 companies and to have created
approximately 50 new jobs.

The Douglas Indian Association developed a Tribal Fisherman Grant to assist small business
owners who have maintained a historic Tribal presence in the commercial fishing and seafood
industry. Demand for fresh seafood plummeted as restaurants, hotels, and catering businesses
shuttered during the pandemic. The grants, funded by SLFRF, intend to offset the escalating fuel
costs, transportation restrictions, and a decrease in salmon catches to help Tribal citizens
economically recover.

The City of El Cajon, California is leveraging over $2.7 million to start a small business incubator
program by offering office space for $1 per year, not including utilities and other maintenance
costs. The service will assist a minimum of five businesses annually through the incubator. The
City aims for it to be a supportive environment for a wide range of startups and early-stage
businesses, helping them to grow and locate in El Cajon or neighboring communities.
The City of Holyoke, Massachusetts is budgeting $75,000 to provide support for business events
and membership programs, as well as to provide 1:1 business support and technical assistance
at no-cost to local business owners.
The City of Saint Joseph, Missouri is using approximately $1 million to construct a new building
to increase the education and training capacity at their Hillyard Technical Center. The facility
allows students to cross train on different aspects of manufacturing in current manufacturing
environments. This project will enable an expansion of health care programs to address the
shortage of students entering the health care professions.
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa acknowledged that Tribal citizen-owned ranching
businesses had been severely impacted since the pandemic’s start. The closures, combined with
a historical drought, have made ranching a challenge. Farmers and ranchers not only play a
critical role in the food supply chain but are also an important factor in the Tribal economy. To
assist in recovery, the Tribe enacted a small business grant program using SLFRF that provides
hay and economic support to ranchers.




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Delivering High-Speed Internet Access



SLFRF funds are being invested to strengthen the country’s internet infrastructure by laying fiber
backbone, completing last-mile connections, and prioritizing equitable access to broadband.
These investments provide residents with access to education, health care, government services,
and economic opportunity. As of March 31, 2024, SLFRF recipients budgeted more than $8.2
billion in SLFRF funds for more than 1,400 broadband internet projects. The SLFRF funds invested
in broadband projects complement the American Rescue Plan’s expansion of affordable
highspeed internet access through Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund, as well as the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law.
The following are a sample of broadband projects reported by SLFRF recipients:
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe has a territory that expands across three counties in Colorado.
The Tribe’s “Broadband Band Modernization Project” braids its SLFRF award funds with other
sources of broadband funding to provide 95 percent of the reservation’s new construction and
existing homes with fiber optic internet.
Warren County, Ohio is using $4.8 million to bring high speed internet access to a broader
portion of Warren County. This will include lower-income portions of the County, including
underserved households and businesses that have never had access to this important
infrastructure before.
Yavapi County, Arizona is utilizing over $8 million to provide broadband service to 6,460 sites in
four rural areas of the County.


Upgrading Water and Sewer Infrastructure


Recipients may use SLFRF funds to invest in critical water and sewer infrastructure to improve
access to clean drinking water and to support vital wastewater and stormwater projects. To date,
governments have invested $4.4 billion in more than 2,500 projects to meet their water,
wastewater, and stormwater goals.
Examples of water and sewer projects reported by SLFRF recipients include the following:
The City of Champaign Illinois is budgeting $5 million to improve their Garden Hills
neighborhood, which has a long history of flooding attributable to inadequate stormwater and
flood control infrastructure. One of the primary goals of this project is to reduce flooding through

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implementation of large-scale flood control projects. Infrastructure improvements include
construction of a stormwater detention basin, complete street reconstruction (streets,
sidewalks, lighting, and minor sewage systems), and the construction of a neighborhood park.
The State of Idaho is leveraging $13.8 million to improve the wastewater system in the City of
Gooding – including lift stations, wastewater collection, force main piping, and manhole
replacements.
The State of Michigan is using nearly $40 million to upgrade the existing wastewater treatment
plant on Mackinac Island. Some of the upgrades are: a new headworks facility containing
screening and grit removal, three primary clarifiers, three MBBR trains (each containing two
reactors), rapid mix and flocculation basins with mixers for chemical feed, four secondary
clarifiers, ultraviolet disinfection, effluent pump station, effluent equalization, effluent force
main improvements, and sludge handling processes.
Saline County, Arkansas is utilizing $10 million to purchase land and easements, lay water lines
and build a treatment plant to bring water from the Ouachita River to Saline County and the
towns/cities within Saline County. This project is over 25 years in the making and will help ensure
a long-term increase in the County’s water supply.
The Spokane Tribe of Indians is taking proactive measures to address water deficiencies for
existing homes and new home construction. The Tribe is investing SLFRF funds in several water
and sewer projects and will make improvements to expand the water system for future home
construction.
The State of South Dakota is budgeting $14.6 million to install 16 miles of 54-inch pipe, 18 miles
of 48-inch pipe and 16 miles of 42-inch pipe with a metering and control station.

These opportunities are possible because the economy is in a stronger place today as a result of
the American Rescue Plan. Looking forward, the Treasury Department remains focused on
ensuring that recipients can leverage their SLFRF award funds to meet the unique needs of their
communities in ways that will power inclusive and equitable economic growth for decades to
come.




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