COVID-19 Response Program names first recipients
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs on Wednesday announced 13 rural Indiana communities will receive nearly $2 million from the new COVID-19 Response Program. The federal grant funding will assist with rising medical needs and will help save jobs and small businesses.
“Our rural communities are truly the next economic frontier and we have to do all we can to ensure they survive this crisis,” said Crouch.
In March, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb issued an executive order that allowed OCRA to redirect Community Development Block Grant funds to assist with COVID-19 needs.
The program aims to support communities by expanding or altering existing medical facilities, providing fixed or mobile testing, expanding food pantry services, and providing grants or loans to small businesses, among others.
“Our rural communities are feeling the effects of COVID-19 and need immediate support to ensure that critical services and supplies, as well as economic recovery resources are available,” said Jodi Golden, executive director of OCRA.
More information on the program can be found by clicking here.