ARPA and Beyond: County Perspectives on Using Federal Funds to Address Affordable Housing Challenges

Counties across the U.S. have used their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to address their affordable and supportive housing goals. Housing is a critical issue in many communities, exacerbated by the pandemic, rising construction costs, and interest rates. Thanks to the guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury and an Affordable Housing How-To Guide published jointly with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), counties have had more direction in investing their ARPA funds in housing projects successfully. With the ARPA obligation deadline approaching at the end of 2024, counties are thinking about what comes next.

This webinar will examine how two counties leverage their ARPA funds for housing. It will also explore approaches post-ARPA for accessing federal funds from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for housing, as well as other methods to blending, braiding, and leveraging federal, state, and local funds for affordable housing projects, programs, and planning.

• Travis County, TX, invested $110M of ARPA State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to build 2,000 units of supportive housing.
• Baltimore County, MD, invested $12M of ARPA SLFRF funds to create a new Housing Opportunities Fund.
• Guidehouse has supported over 80 state and local clients with their COVID relief efforts, including approaches to use federal funds for housing programs and projects.