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Grant Programs for Human Services Providers and Small Businesses
Assistance to Human Services Agencies
The County issued a COVID-19 needs assessment survey to its diverse service provider network in early June 2021. Roundtable discussions were held with the providers to review survey results and prioritize current and future human service funding-based needs in the County. Below is a listing of the highest areas of concern discussed at these sessions:
| Behavioral Health & Developmental Support | Child Welfare and Foster Care |
| Affordable Housing | Domestic Violence |
| Premium Pay | Food Security |
| Substance Use Treatment | Healthcare for Children |
| Increase Salaries of Social Services Staff | Healthy Childhood Environment |
| Health Disparities | Additional Training for Workers |
| Public Health | Negative Economic Impacts from COVID |
| Transportation | Re-entry of the Incarcerated |
| Childcare | Translation Services |
| Employment Support | Schools |
| Education Disparities | Vaccine Incentives |
| Homelessness | Juvenile Probation Office/Community Based Supports |
| Lost Revenue | Credit Rating Support |
| Technology/Internet Upgrades | Facility Improvements |
Funding Framework
Our community service providers developed program and project funding proposals based on the above identified areas of need. Proposals were evaluated and funded according to criteria developed to serve individuals with significant barriers to services, including people of color, people with low incomes, limited English proficiency populations, and other underserved individuals with barriers.
Human Services ARPA Project Awards
| Agency | Award | Project | Area(s) of Need to be Supported | |
| 1 | A Woman's Place | $73,600.00 | Full implementation of expansion of clinical therapy support programs for domestic violence survivors and their relocation expenses. | Health disparities-Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) project |
| 2 | BCHIP (Bucks County Health Improvement Partnership) | $282,970.00 | BCHIP shall re-initiate the Long Term Care Partnership and expand and enhance Advance Care Planning Coordination which improves end of life care for patients and families. ARPA funding will support project coordinator costs, equipment, education and outreach materials, and training. | Health disparities - SDoH project |
| 3 | Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC) | $197,132.00 | Healthy Eating and Living Partnership: BCOC shall create in-person food shopping area in the HELP Center in Lower Bucks County to benefit homeless and low-income individuals and offer online ordering and food pick-up services. Items to be purchased with ARPA funding to facilitate this project include a refrigerated truck, commercial refrigerator and freezer, storage and packing supplies, and a pallet jack. A project coordinator will also be funded by ARPA. | Health disparities - SDoH project |
| 4 | Buxmont Academy | $6,350.00 | Chromebooks for Students: Chromebooks will be provided to each student enrolled in an alternative education plan for troubled and at-risk youth in grades 6-12 struggling with a wide range of behavioral and emotional problems. | Educational disparities |
| 5 | Bucks County Children & Youth | $25,000.00 | Grocery store gift cards will be provided by Children & Youth social workers to struggling families with demonstrated need. | Health disparities-SDoH project |
| 6 | Council of Southeast PA | $110,400.00 | The PRO-ACT Family Recovery Program: The goal of the project is to expand the Southern Bucks Recovery Community Center by adding space to create a Family Recovery Center, add Family Recovery and Family Education Programs, add to the services provided for families, and allow for an expansion of Recovery Support Services to adults in recovery who are parenting young children. Grant fund will support staffing costs, insurance, training, supplies, and operating expenses. | Health disparities-SDoH project |
| 7 | Family Services Association | $480,993.00 | Working For Children initiative: This program will assist the working poor by providing financial assistance to shelter residents who apply for childcare services (ages 0-6) through the Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC). This funding will allow recipients to go back to work sooner and/or focus on finding a job without the worry of childcare expenses. ARPA funds will cover program costs related to childcare tuition, transportation, administration, and the coordination staff. | Promoting healthy childhood environments |
| 8 | Interim HealthCare | $922,805.00 | This project aims to provide Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) assisted living-like services to residents who do not possess the resources to enter a traditional CCRC or simply wish to age well in their existing residence due to personal preference or concerns over COVID 19 exposure. ARPA funds shall provide the means for staffing, tech devices for staff and consumers for virtual monitoring, training, travel to consumers, telemedicine visits, monitoring platform charges, etc. | Health disparities- SDoH project |
| 9 | Ivins Outreach | $199,950.00 | The HomeShare Program will match vulnerable senior homeowners with lower income Bucks County workers by creating mutually beneficial matches to keep seniors in their homes longer while providing home-seekers with affordable living arrangements. ARPA funds for this program will support the Program Coordinator position, all program equipment and supplies, program applicant background checks and employment verification, and marketing and community outreach. | Investments in housing and neighborhoods |
| 10 | Ivins Outreach (in partnership with Morrisville School District) | $579,185.00 | Lower Bucks Consortium Academic Support Program: The goal of this program is to address social determinants of health, remove barriers to learning, and facilitate expansion of successful academic and social and emotional learning services aimed at helping at-risk K-12 students overcome academic regression due to Covid-19; ARPA funds shall support program-related expenses and staffing. | Health disparities, educational disparities, promoting healthy childhood environments |
| 11 | Lenape Valley Foundation | $183,842.00 | LVF Residential Facilities Enhancement: The goal of this project is to improve the quality of housing available to vulnerable populations by renovating kitchens and bathrooms and updating furnishings in housing provided by Lenape Valley Foundation to individuals hardest hit by COVID-19 such as those with a history of mental illness and other cooccurring issues; these individuals are at risk for homelessness and higher levels of care. To inhibit the spread of COVID, updates made will be easy to clean and/or refinish/refurbish when necessary. | Investing in housing and neighborhoods, housing related project |
| 12 | No Longer Bound | $387,703.00 | Bristol Education Center: Programming for at-risk and low-income youth to build a foundation of healthy social-emotional skills focused on repairing relationships, fixing harmful situations, and healing from adversity or trauma. Staffing costs, consultant services, and general operating and program implementation costs will be funded by ARPA. | Education Disparities, Healthy Child Environments |
| 13 | Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA) | $150,000.00 | Forensic Nurse Program: This project is in collaboration with the Bucks County District Attorney's Office to stabilize the county-wide Forensic Nursing Program and Domestic Violence Investigations unit and will transform/improve the standards of care for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, interpersonal violence, and strangulation; ARPA funding shall support salary and benefits for part-time forensic nursing staff. | Health disparities-SDoH project |
| 14 | Penn Foundation, St. Luke's Penn Foundation | $459,155.00 | St' Luke's Foundation Camp Programming: This project includes the expansion of the existing Camp Crossroads programming for youth 7-12 dealing with mental health and developmental disorders. The programming addresses the tremendous impact COVID has had on family systems and the resulting increase in need for mental health services. Funding will support camp supplies, camp and activity fees, staffing, and start-up/admin/overhead costs. | Promoting healthy childhood environments |
| 15 | Penndel Mental Health Center | $342,452.00 | Project Stabilization Part 1: ARPA funding shall support the migration, setup, and training of staff in utilizing a new Electronic Health Record (EHR) system which will provide better reporting, a simplified client interface for telehealth appointments, and improved interaction with referral sources for care coordination; easier client/provider interaction is key to the resumption and continuation of services for those in need during the continued recovery from the pandemic. | Health disparities-SDoH project |
| 16 | Pyramid Healthcare | $121,000.00 | To improve health and quality of life for residents, Pyramid Healthcare, Inc. shall install filtration systems in both the Langhorne and Quakertown residential treatment locations to assist improve air quality in the facilities. | Housing related project to contain and mitigate spread of COVID address, COVID related BH needs |
| 17 | Reach Out Foundation of Bucks County | $62,000.00 | Reach Out Growth: Purchase of 16-passenger van to transport consumers in compliance with CDC social distancing requirements; transportation of prison inmates to their homes and for consumers to Reach Out and other community activities. | Premium pay, purchase a new van |
| 18 | YMCA of Bucks County | $322,286.00 | Operation Compassion Recovery (OCR): YMCA is Supporting Vulnerable Families with Children and Youth through the expansion of its feeding program, better access to infant, school-age, and summer camp childcare for low-income families, and in-person academic enrichment to remedy Covid-19 learning loss. | Health disparities, educational disparities, promoting healthy childhood environments |
| $4,956,823.00 |
Assistance to Small Businesses
Business Recovery
Recommendations for funding use:
The county hosted a Bucks County business round table on October 15th, 2021 to hear concerns from employers across all industries. Below are the takeaways and results from the round table discussion:
- Between $15,000 and $45,000 is the average amount most would find beneficial from a grant.
- Hiring issues are hurting businesses the most.
- While grants seem to be the greatest need to keep businesses in operation, finding available programs and finding the time to complete applications seem to be the biggest hurdles to getting grants.
- Businesses could also use assistance with marketing, assistance with inflation, additional help from Workforce and Economic Development to build workforce and help planning for the future.
Bucks Business Recovery Grant
The County partnered with the Bucks County Economic Development Corporation, Bucks County Industrial Development Authority and the Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County, meeting with the small business and nonprofit community to discuss current economic recovery efforts as well as eligibility criteria to access the County’s “Bucks Recovery” $5mm business grant program. A webinar series was held for businesses to assist business owners with applications to the Bucks Recover Grant Program. Program metrics are provided below: