Sedgwick County commissioners have approved an allocation of over $7.2 million for 58 public health and social services agencies for needs related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The county’s deputy chief financial officer, Brent Shelton, said the funding will provide for personal protective equipment, technology to allow for remote operations, food assistance and other needs.
The money is from federal coronavirus relief funds under the CARES Act, and Shelton said $18 million was set aside for the health and social service agencies. He said there are still seven applications being considered, and their requests total around $14 million. He said staff will be working to get more information on the applications to determine if they are eligible for funding and recommendations will be submitted to county commissioners later. The commissioners also agreed to reopen the portal for applications from other non-profit agencies that may be in need.
The county has also received almost 1,000 applications for safe operating grants, and the county will continue to accept applications from other non-profit agencies.
So far, Sedgwick County has spent over $21 million in CARES funds, with over $13 million used to support county needs, more than $8 million to K-12 schools and cities.
