Dutchess County Announces Additional Coronavirus Relief Funds

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Dutchess County will provide assistance to low- and moderate-income residents and small businesses with more than $2.3 million in coronavirus-related funding.

County Executive Marc Molinaro said Tuesday the money will come from the Coronvirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

There will be new initiatives as well, including an eviction prevention program and local municipal projects for senior citizens, he said.

The new initiatives will be in addition to the small business grant program and the childcare relief scholarships already underway.

Molinaro said the county was proud to implement programs that will provide much-needed help for low- and moderate-income families and local small businesses.

"As we have since the pandemic began, Dutchess County continues to offer assistance to families and businesses hit hard by these difficult times," he said, "and these new initiatives are the latest examples of our efforts."

The county has allocated CARES funding as follows:

• Nearly $1.3 million in eviction prevention to ensure housing stability.
• More than $450,000 in economic development relief for small businesses.
• More than $400,000 to childcare to assist parents who are balancing work and student remote learning.
• More than $150,000 for local municipal projects promoting food security and safety for seniors.

According to a spokesperson, funding to prevent evictions will be available starting in February. It will provide retroactive rent and utility relief for up to six consecutive months for those who lost wages as a result of the pandemic.

Eligible residents can complete the Eviction Prevention Form and will be contacted in February.

The following municipalities applied for and were awarded CARES funding to promote food security and safety at local senior centers to enable them to be open for seniors.

• Beacon: $25,000 for assistance to a local food bank to purchase food for distribution to low- and moderate-income households.
• Beekman: $20,000 for touchless bathroom fixtures for the town’s senior program
• Dover: $17,200 award for substantive meals and home-keeping necessities for homebound seniors.
• East Fishkill: $20,000 award for HEPA sterilization units and UV air purifiers at the senior center.
• Hyde Park: $29,500 award for plexiglass partitions, air purifiers and UV-C lights, WiFi network upgrades and seven laptops at the senior center, as well as a tent for outdoor programming.
• Town of Poughkeepsie: $15,950 award for plexiglass barriers, hand sanitizing stations, wall-mounted thermometers, HEPA filter, air purifiers, gloves/wipes/masks for the senior center.
• Pine Plains: $26,542 award for support to Willow Roots food pantry to purchase food for distribution to low- and moderate-income families.

County officials said funds remain available to assist microenterprise businesses, which have five or fewer employees, including the owner. Additional information can be found at the Community Capital New York website.

Also, the county is able to offer additional 45 scholarships to cover 75 percent of a child's daily tuition to low- and moderate-income families who do not have the means or resources to address the competing need for parents to work and children to have supervision and attend school virtually. For more information, including application instructions, go here.

CARES Act funding is awarded to the county through the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant. The funds must be used for low- and moderate-income Dutchess County residents who don't exceed 80 percent of the county's median income limits.