Providence, Rhode Island Disaster Recovery and Grants Management
March 29, 2022
City of Lowell, Massachusetts
March 29, 2022In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a major disaster throughout the United States. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued an emergency declaration in the same month and authorized the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations that meet certain criteria.
SITUATION
Covering over 1,300 square miles and with a population of almost 37,000 residents, the County is located in the southwest part of Kansas. The major disaster declaration opened reimbursement possibilities for all eligible Public Assistance applicants, including cities and counties across the country. The incident period was back-dated to January 20, 2020 and continues.
TASK
The recovery process is complex and often overwhelming, so we work with our clients to guide them through the FEMA requirements and ensure they receive the maximum eligible recovery of costs. iParametrics and our partner, Metric, were retained by the County to support grant management and writing for COVID-19-related reimbursements.
ACTION
The iParametrics team is providing the County with comprehensive grant management and cost recovery services. Programs implemented included rent, mortgage and utilities assistance for households, including those with low-to-moderate income (LMI), recovery grants for small businesses and microenterprises, reimbursement of COVID-19 related expenses for government entities and non-profits, and grants for community-supported COVID-19 response and recovery initiatives. The strategic planning aspect covers how to utilize SPARK grant and other sources of available funding, FEMA PA and cost recovery includes training County staff on FEMA cost recovery tactics, project application.
RESULT
For Finney County, Kansas, we are managing a grant program of $10.9 million in funding. We recently wrote the grant funding request for $1.8 million in new state grants and launched four grant programs. We have assisted over 100 households, 29 businesses, and 20 community organizations, including low-income families.
“Their assistance in managing the County’s approximate $11 million in CARES Act CRF funding has allowed us to excel and become a recognized leader in the State of Kansas. With their assistance, we were able to successfully access more than $2 million of additional funding, allowing us to maximize the assistance to our residents, improve the County’s response capabilities, and ensure our long-term economic viability.”Robert Reece, County Administrator
