Milwaukee County among top five counties across nation for using federal relief dollars

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By Ethan Duran

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Milwaukee County ranked third out of 93 counties that received American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) in a report from Results for America (RFA), according to county officials. The ranking comes from Results for America’s Recovery Plan Performance Reports which assessed state and local governments’ use of recovery funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of notable projects RFA identified, Milwaukee County’s Right to Counsel program was highlighted for investing recovery resources into Housing and Homelessness Services, county officials said. Right to Counsel Milwaukee provides free legal representation in evictions for eligible households through the lead partner organization United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties and designated organization Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, officials added.

National data shows people who have been evicted are more likely to experience homelessness and extended usage of homeless shelters, are more likely to lose their jobs and more likely to have children who become chronically absent from school after eviction occurs, county officials said. The Milwaukee Eviction Defense Project data shows 90% of eviction cases are dismissed or delayed when a tenant has legal representation, however only 3% of 14,000 Milwaukee families facing eviction in a typical year will have legal representation, county officials said.

The county created an ARPA taskforce which smoothed the process for evaluating projects and recommending funding that aligns with Milwaukee County’s vision of race and health equity, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said in a statement. Of pandemic relief funds given to the county, 95% of them were allocated and directed to negate economic impact due to the pandemic, he added.

“I’m incredibly proud of our team here for making the best use of the $183 million in one-time federal recovery dollars. Instead of pouring those resources to fund ongoing services and creating even larger budget gaps down the road, we found smart ways to support the community as we transitioned from a state of emergency to a state of recovery,” Crowley said, noting the creation of the funding task force.

“Today, 95 percent of pandemic relief funds have been allocated with most funds going to address reduction in revenue experienced due to the pandemic and to respond to economic harms to workers, families, small businesses, impacted industries and the public sector,” Crowley said.

RFA reviewed 200 recovery plan performance reports through July 30, 2022, with financial expenditures through December 2022, county officials said. The group looked at SLRF reports from all 50 states, 83 counties and 67 cities, officials added.

Next, RFA evaluated the sum of expenditures for each project and expenditure category included in jurisdictional recovery plans, county officials said. RFA also identified 12 investment categories and determined if jurisdiction investments were being made in those categories. The group covered a wide range of categories such as COVID-19 mitigation and prevention, public health, public safety and financial security, county officials added.

Finally, RFA reviewed and scored all recovery plans based on the five key practices of the U.S. Department of Treasury. Officials noted best practices included implementing evidence-based programs and ensuring outcomes.

Milwaukee County received a total score of 9 out of a possible score of 10, the RFA report showed. This placed it in the top 5 nationwide next to Los Angeles County, Calif. And Maricopa County, Ariz, officials added.

RFA also had its eye on SLFRF-funded projects that used evidence-based solutions, used an impact evaluation or enhanced data, evidence capacity or both, according to county officials.

Mainly Black and Latino families in low-income areas are at-risk for evictions, Milwaukee County Small Claims Court data showed. Black women, families with children and Latino families in mostly White neighborhoods are disproportionately evicted, county officials added

County officials also noted that the 10 neighborhoods with the highest eviction rates are 73% African American with a 40% poverty rate. Evicted families have worse outcomes in critical determinants, such as economic stability employment, education, physical and mental health, research by the ACLU and EvictionLab showed.

The county offered online links to RFA’s report, the Milwaukee County ARPA allocation process and Right to Counsel Milwaukee.