San Mateo County reported that it has funneled more than $218 million into local relief efforts since the COVID-19 pandemic began to support families struggling with the ravages of COVID such as job loss, illness and lack of food.
"An unprecedented crisis demands an unprecedented response," Don Horsley, chairman of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement.
He noted that, taken together, the relief funding from local, state and federal sources, as well as the large number of donations, "is an amazing reflection of our commitment that no one should be left behind in this pandemic."
That scope of the relief effort appears in the county's mid-year budget update, which provides a snapshot of the county's budget outlook for the current fiscal year 2021-22.
The county remarked that the recovery funds enabled more than 284 additional public WiFi hotspots to which more than 82,000 have connected, an average of 13,234 residents per month.
In addition, he said that the outreach led to nearly 9,500 applications for the state's Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 low-income seniors have received five meals a week at home since July 2021.
"Our residents and businesses have faced financial hardship, loss of loved ones and tremendous uncertainty and stress in their lives," said County Administrator Mike Callagy.
"While we continue to endure more uncertainty, we must take a moment to recognize how this county and, more importantly, this community, has come together to respond to the most critical needs of those most affected," he added.
The county, according to the mid-year budget update, expects to end the current fiscal year on June 30, 2022, with a fund balance of $153 million, or funds budgeted, but not spent.
This, he said, is largely due to the postponement of planned capital improvement projects, staff vacancies and unanticipated state funding.
He stressed that the expired projections do not include changes in the negotiated labor agreements, which will affect the year-end budget.
Callagy called the county in "good financial shape" due to the "sound planning and decisions of the Board of Supervisors, which voted at its meeting today to accept the mid-year budget update."
At the same meeting, the Board of Supervisors accepted the 2021-23 Budget for Children, Youth and Families, a 67-page document on programs and services detailing their impact on the county's 205,000 children and youth.
"We know that the earlier we invest in our children, the better," Callagy said. "Evidence from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that a dollar invested in high-quality early childhood programs, especially in our most vulnerable communities, generates $7.30 in benefits."
The approved FY 2021-22 budget allocates $375.1 million for programs that directly benefit children, youth and families.
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