We have taken an approach to sharing information that allows for multiple stories to be shared in numerous ways.
First, we created a webpage designed specifically for sharing stories from within El Paso County. We are sharing information about organizations that are using ARPA funds to build out programs and benefit various communities. Thus far, organizations that have been highlighted include Care and Share Food Bank, Springs Rescue Mission, Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, Pikes Peak United Way, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Colorado Springs affiliate. The webpage is linked in the references below.
Second, we have started a county podcast that focuses on stories in and around El Paso County. These interviews supplement the information on the website, but also offer various leaders from around the county the chance to talk about the importance of cooperation within the community. The podcast is titled Beyond the Dais – The Stories of El Paso County and can be found on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. The link to the Spotify page is included in the references below.
References
COMMUNITY IMPACT GRANT
Initially, we invested American Rescue Plan Act funding in various programs and needs to get businesses up and running again. While administering funds, and meeting with the community and various nonprofits, we quickly realized that the need for resources was great. It went beyond helping businesses or setting up testing centers and vaccination centers.
Children had been cooped up for months without extracurricular activities, and adolescents and young people were struggling with mental health, to say nothing of their parents. Many public-facing industries were lacking skilled labor, elders on fixed income were struggling with food insecurity, and the community in general was worried about job security to personal safety. El Paso County Commissioners and staff were hearing from concerned residents every day about the needs and gaps in the community.
With these concerns in mind, in the latter part of 2021, the County opened the ARPA Community Impact Grant to fund various programs administered by nonprofit organizations, to serve the community in a broad range of services. These services included substance abuse, mental and behavioral health, suicide prevention, legal aid to prevent eviction or homelessness and food insecurity among others. El Paso County allocated almost $9 million to fund a total of 50 regional programs through the Community Impact Grant and $1.2 million of that went into addressing food insecurity alone.
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One of the grant recipients under this funding opportunity was Solid Rock Community Development Corporation. Solid Rock is focused on working in the Southeast part of Colorado Springs, focusing on affordable housing, business development and infrastructure improvement. If you are thinking, what would a Community Development Corporation have to do with fighting food insecurity, we had the same question for Pastor Ben Anderson, Executive Director of Solid Rock Community Development Corporation. “Southeast Colorado Springs, where Solid Rock does most of its work is a food desert,” said Ben Anderson. “We cannot build a thriving community without food access. We run a food pantry to meet the needs of community members, while we plan to create a food commission to help move the Southeast away from being a food desert.”
During the early days of the lockdown, the food pantry saw about a 30% uptick in families needing food, and the need has not reduced since. With the increasing cost of food, the need in the community is greater than ever. “We are always going to have a demographic that’s on the margin. We have seniors who are on fixed-incomes and families with children that are constantly teetering on the edge of deciding what they will give up to afford food. Even with a food plan, we will always need emergency access to food. This grant from El Paso County, will help us give families immediate access for years to come”.
Food pantries and community resources are a vital link for many of our community’s most vulnerable, so prioritizing food insecurity was an easy decision for El Paso County to make. In addition to Solid Rock, the County also funded other community-based organizations addressing food insecurity like Care and Share and Food to Power. Solid Rock plans to use the grant funding to purchase fresh produce from farmers in Colorado, who will give away the produce at farmers markets in the Southeast, along with adding dry goods and inventory to their regular repertoire of products offered at the pantry. “This is a heavy lift for one organization alone,” said Pastor Ben. “We cannot support the community on our own, but with the help of residents, other organizations, the city, and El Paso County, we can all lighten the burden, without replicating efforts, and really make the change we want to see. I truly believe that the food bank cannot be a long-term plan for addressing food insecurity, but it is a stopgap while we collectively come up with a sustainable solution”.
El Paso County is proud to partner with and support the incredible work nonprofit organizations do in identifying and addressing the needs in the community. Like us, people are certainly at the heart of what they do, and we proudly support such missions that puts the community’s needs first.
BUSINESS GRANT ASSISTANCE
El Paso County is home to many of Colorado’s most visited attractions from Pikes Peak- America’s Mountain, to one of the most visited public spaces in the country, Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center, to new sporting arenas and dozens of new restaurants, hotels, and places to visit. Then came March 2020, and the bustling tourism industry in El Paso County took a massive hit, with many businesses shutting their doors due to government shutdowns, and others cutting service hours and staff to survive. During these difficult times, the various chamber(s) of commerce, and business leagues stepped up to provide their members with resources they needed. They worked on everything from how to apply for PPE and PPP grants and loans, to navigating permits for outdoor dining, and even providing resources to retain and attract employees and customers to simply keep businesses going. Unfortunately, with the struggling businesses, various chambers that rely on their members for funding were struggling as well, so El Paso County answered the call. El Paso County used CARES and ARPA funding to support various chambers of commerce so they could continue serving the community.
Considering the scope of work the chambers do, and the impact they have on the businesses in the area, El Paso County opened a 501 (c) (4) & (6) Grant to provide funding to the chambers that are focused on regional tourism and economic development. The County directed $2.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to this grant opportunity to fund 11 chambers and business leagues directly involved in supporting the tourism industries and business support services in the area.
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One such chamber that has been busy supporting El Paso County area businesses is the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce or SCWCC. The SCWCC has been working to advance women in business and create environments and opportunities for their members’ businesses to succeed. SCWCC focused on helping businesses rebound adding workshops, additional advertising programs and pandemic related business support services.
“In those early months of March and April 2020, we received urgent and emotional calls from our members, many of whom were afraid that their business was not going to survive the shutdowns” said Lola Woloch, President and CEO of the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce. “We had to pivot quickly from our usual programming to bring them pandemic related services. We heard directly from business owners about their concerns and needs and gathered resources to assist them.” SCWCC has 281 active members, that represents businesses from various sectors in El Paso County and Southern Colorado. Despite the large membership base, the SCWCC lost over 60% of their programming revenue in 2020 alone, and the funding provided by El Paso County was crucial to their ability to support local business owners.
“Without the programming provided by SCWCC, many of our small businesses which makes up 63% of our membership base, including women-owned and minority-owned, would suffer, as would the community that depends on them,” said Ms. Woloch. “SCWCC has adapted to the needs of our business community in providing resources and support during this economic recovery stage. We are increasing vital workshops based on the surveys from our members to the region including the EPC2 PULSE 2 report from El Paso County. The funds received from APRA will assist in funding workshops and programs for strategic planning, marketing, and advertising for small businesses scheduled to start later in April and throughout the year.”
Over the course of this pandemic, chambers of commerce like the Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce have creatively supported the community. SCWCC plans to continue supporting businesses transition from pandemic mode to a robust post-pandemic level, and El Paso County will be there, every step along the way.
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