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Snohomish County residents, groups express what they still need for pandemic recovery

Snohomish County received $160 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding. About half of it has yet to be divided.

LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Snohomish County hosted an event in Lynnwood Thursday to gather input on how to best use millions in COVID-19 pandemic recovery funding.

The county received $160 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from the federal government in 2021.

About half of the funding is already on its way for allocation, according to Snohomish County's Office of Recovery and Resilience (ORR). The second half has yet to be divided.

“So, we are using this to determine what comes next?" said Kara Main-Hester, who heads the ORR.

The county is hosting five "Recovery Roadshow" events. The second event, which was for District 3, was held at the Lynnwood Public Library Thursday evening.

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Approximately 100 people gathered at the library to vote on the needs that mattered the most to them during this stage of the pandemic, including child care, day care, homeless shelter availability, behavioral and mental health services, economic opportunities and affordable housing. Attendees voted for their top issues by placing stickers on a board for each topic.

“We heard about this, and we're like, ‘Oh, let's go find out what the county is doing,’" said Brent Hudson, of the Silver Creek Family Church in Lynnwood.

Hudson and Karina Gasparine, who works with a group that helps Latinas in the community gather church resources, said they appreciated the opportunity to express their needs.

“That's why this event is so important; that we can create a partnership with the county and say this is what we need. This is what we really need," said Gasparine.

There will be three more events in Snohomish County:

June 9: 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Location: 4H Building #501, Evergreen State Fair Park, 14405 179th Ave SE, Monroe WA 98272

District 5, serving: Gold Bar, Index, Lake Stevens, Monroe, Snohomish, Sultan

June 15: 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Location: Public Meeting Room 1 & Plaza, Snohomish County Campus 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett, WA 98201

District 2, serving: Everett, Mukilteo, Tulalip Tribes

June 23: 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Location: Byrnes Performing Arts Center, 8821 Crown Ridge Blvd, Arlington, WA 98223

District 1, serving: Arlington, Darrington, Granite Falls, Marysville, Stanwood, Sauk-Suiattle Tribe, Stillaguamish Tribe

For more information, visit the program's website.

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