The Haines Borough Assembly approved unanimously at its Tuesday meeting allocating $625,000 in CARES Act funds to individual relief grants targeting low income residents.
The CARES Act ad hoc committee finalized the Individual Economic Relief Assistance Grant application process Wednesday, Sept. 16. The grant will provide up to $1,000 in CARES Act funds for Haines adults who will earn $40,000 or less in taxable income in 2020, or $80,000 or less for those whose income status is married filing jointly. Eligible adults with children qualify for an additional $500 per child.
“This is more targeted for the need base and those individuals who have lost revenue streams because of COVID,” committee chair Brenda Josephson said.
Applicants must show they suffered economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic due to loss of income, job loss, reduction in hours or job unavailability. The application period began Sept. 23 and applications are due by Oct. 20 at 8 a.m. The funding must be used by Dec. 30, 2020. If approved, payments will be made directly to the applicants.
At the committee meeting, Josephson proposed dovetailing the additional round of relief assistance with a buy local campaign aimed at incentivizing nondiscretionary spending. Beginning in October, individuals who spend $300 on items not including fuel, groceries and other non-discretionary items are eligible to receive a $100 gift card to participating businesses. The ad hoc committee allocated $22,000 in CARES Act funds to pay for the gift cards. The first 200 people to turn in the receipts will receive gift cards.
Borough finance director Jila Stuart said the target population for the relief funds is different than people who can afford to spend money on discretionary spending in a buy local campaign.
“The people who are in need, I’m expecting, will largely spend this money on groceries and rent and utilities and things that aren’t eligible (for the buy local program),” Stuart said. “I love the idea of extending shop local but I don’t want to overstate the importance of dovetailing the two of them. I think they’re different programs for different people.”
Committee member Jerry Lapp agreed with Stuart and said the relief is targeted to those on a lower income who will need the money to purchase fuel and groceries.
The committee declined to pair the two programs.
Questions about the application or grant can be addressed to [email protected] or by calling borough staff at 766-6400.
About $1.7 million of the boroughs $4 million in CARES Act funding has been disbursed. About $230,000 of the $4 million remains to be allocated.
A total of 472 households qualified and received nearly $500,000 in CARES Act funding for the household grant relief program that funded up to $1,000 for utilities such as power, trash disposal and heating costs.