CONWAY (full article: https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/local/town-arpa-funds-go-to-needy-not-library/article_7df933fc-b24b-11ef-9797-271e055c2622.html)
— Selectmen on Tuesday decided to allocate the town's remaining American Rescue Plan funds toward helping the homeless and the hungry, rather than funding a parking lot for the library... On Tuesday, selectmen discussed what to do with the remaining $32,000 of ARPA funds. The town received $2 million in the COVID-19 pandemic... a majority of selectmen favored a different plan proposed by Selectman Ryan Shepard, who suggested the funds be used to assist organizations that help the homeless and the hungry. “I don’t feel we should be using ARPA funds for the purchase of this land,” said Shepard, adding that the library does need more parking. “I’ve stated in two meetings now, and somehow this has escaped public scrutiny. I would again like to see these remaining $32,000 utilized to partially subsidize housing for the homeless in Conway over this winter. I would also like to see money added to the food banks in Conway to end this year on a high note.”
... Town Manager John Eastman noted that there are a significant number of people in need of assistance this year. He said the welfare budget is $60,000, but the funds have been exhausted, and there are still over 30 cases to process.
“The grim reality is we have people sleeping in their cars, and probably everyone in this room is very blessed to have a place to go home to at night, but there are a lot of people in this town who don’t,” said Eastman.
Selectmen and Eastman discussed various charities that could benefit from the funds, including the Mount Washington Valley Supports Recovery Coalition, the Brown Church, the Way Station, the Peer Support Center, and Vaughan Community Services.
Ultimately, selectmen voted to allocate $20,000 to assist with housing. The money will be spent at the discretion of town staff, either for welfare assistance or given to a nonprofit. The remaining $12,369 will go to local food pantries.
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