The Ocean County board of commissioners will be meeting to discuss how over $25 million of federal COVID funds allocated to the municipality through the American Rescue Plan will be spent. There are proposals to spend a large amount of funding on a program to help homeless individuals in the area. The goal is to help families afford stable housing and financial assistance. There is a large population in the area that are at risk of losing their homes. Foreclosure rates increased as a result of the pandemic. This especially affected senior citizens at or below limited income threshold.
Another chunk of the funding will be set aside to address public health issues regarding Ocean County residents. These include mental and behavioral health services and emergency response communication equipment. After a thorough review of how funds could be used, it was determined that additional assistance was needed in these areas.
The board of commissioners is expected to finalize the spending plan at a meeting scheduled for February 15th in Toms River. The meeting is to begin at 4pm and will be held at the Ocean County Administration Building on Hooper Ave.
