Investments totaling nearly $6 million focused on communities hardest hit during the pandemic

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor Carney, U.S. Senators Carper and Coons, and Representative Blunt Rochester announced Monday nearly $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) capital projects funding (CPF) to nonprofit organizations that provide much needed housing services. This funding is in addition to the $65 million in capital projects announced this past March for community center projects and $40 million distributed to libraries throughout all three counties to benefit those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of Delaware has now received approval for the full $112 million in CPF funds that were allocated to Delaware through the ARPA CPF program.

Learn more about the Capital Project Fund investments in Delaware at de.gov/cpf

The investments are funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, which was championed by Delaware’s Congressional Delegation – U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, along with Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester. ARPA was passed by Congress and then signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021.

“These capital funds are already at work to build a better future for the next generation of Delawareans. You can see it in our libraries and community centers across the state,” said Governor Carney. “The projects announced today will assist some of our most vulnerable neighbors – those dealing with lack of safe and affordable housing. I want to thank the Congressional delegation for their advocacy and look forward to seeing significant results from these investments.”

“The American Rescue Plan continues to deliver to help our most vulnerable residents in Delaware,” said Senator Carper. “This will help organizations on the front lines of helping shelter and uplift our homeless, and I thank Governor Carney and my fellow congressional delegation members for their hard work to get this funding out the door.”

“Three years after its passage, the American Rescue Plan is still paying dividends for Delaware communities with the greatest need,” said Senator Coons. “These investments will help build and restore facilities serving families, individuals, and veterans experiencing homelessness, and ensure that more of our neighbors can find safe, decent, and affordable housing in southern and central Delaware.”

“When drafting the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), we thought about what investments must be made to strengthen the communities that keep Delaware moving,” said Representative Blunt Rochester. “We know that housing is foundational to everything – from education to employment. That’s why the investment we’re celebrating today is so critical because it’s going to help give individuals, families, and veterans the resources they need not just to survive but to thrive with dignity. I’m proud to have worked with Senators Carper and Coons to pass ARPA last Congress so that we can continue our efforts to expand access to and supply of safe, affordable, and reliable housing across the First State.”

“The rising cost of housing is putting the pressure on Delaware families. A person’s financial and physical health starts with having a roof over their head; that’s why these projects will provide much needed relief to veterans and our most vulnerable community members,” said Lt. Governor Hall-Long. “I thank our Congressional delegation for securing these critical investments at a time when they will do the most good.”

The funding announced on Monday will provide:

• $350,000 to The Home of the Brave in Milford to renovate the facility to serve more homeless veterans and provide services to homeless veterans in Delaware including individual case management, mental health counseling, life skills training and educational services.
• More than $2.4 million to The Springboard Collaborative to support this nonprofit organization’s initiatives to build shelter villages for homeless adults in southern and central Delaware in  low-income areas hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• $470,000 to the Delmarva Clergy United in Social Action Foundation in Ellendale for renovations to expand the number of beds to keep homeless off the streets in Sussex County, in a safe, socially distant physical space.
• $2.5 million to Children and Families First to support an extensive renovation of their Seaford House Transitional Residence. Seaford House serves youth in foster who receive round the clock support from specially trained staff who provide ongoing intensive therapy, case management, and life skills training. Planned expansion and upgrades include adding bedrooms to allow for single-occupancy rooms, improving HVAC systems to support appropriate ventilation, building outdoor spaces to accommodate services and recreation, and more.

Delaware submitted its ARPA Capital Projects plan to the U.S. Treasury on January 14, 2022, and the first batch of projects were approved on May 1, 2023. Delaware’s Project Plan for housing projects was approved on July 19, 2023.

For those applications that meet the strict federal requirements, the criteria used to review the proposed projects included whether the projects are shovel ready, have financial support beyond the federal stimulus funding, and could sustain the investments beyond the federal stimulus. The projects also must be located in communities hardest hit by the pandemic, and each project must enable education, work, and health monitoring.

To view the Treasury’s guidelines for ARPA allocations, click here. 

For a full list of Delaware’s ARPA allocations, click here. 

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