RISE programming supports residents and businesses during COVID-19
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramsey
County implemented a comprehensive program to rapidly invest millions in federal
funds back into our community.
In March 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic in full effect, county leaders
presented the board of commissioners with a practical framework to effectively
and rapidly invest $96 million in direct funding that Ramsey County received
through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Collectively, these efforts were strategically coordinated and presented under
the framework of Ramsey County Investment and Support Efforts (RISE).
Investing tens of
millions of dollars into our community within a nine-month window required the
county to quickly identify those areas in which the funding was most needed and
would make the greatest impact (these funds couldn’t be used to cover lost
revenue such as unpaid property taxes or lower sales tax receipts). Additionally,
the focus of RISE projects furthers the county’s strategic priorities, provides accountability
to our residents and businesses, serves to mitigate racial and ethnic disparities
in the county and has applicability beyond the pandemic.
Program
areas
Altogether, $72 million in CARES funding was rapidly
invested in our community through
RISE – home and help, employment support and small business programs - while the remaining $24 million was used to cover emergency expenses related to
public safety, direct care, public health and other areas of need.
Explore the programs:
RISE highlights at-a-glance
- Nearly 8,000 Ramsey County residents received home-delivered meals, more than 22,000 deliveries were made to homes and over 46,000 meals were delivered to students and youth.
- More than $7 million in direct financial assistance was provided to 4,551 households to ensure housing stability.
- More than $7.4 million was provided to landlords on behalf of 2,212 tenants.
- Nearly 1,000 people experiencing homelessness were sheltered in hotels and emergency shelters.
- More than 6,000 residents received direct workforce development services.
- $14 million in financial assistance was provided to 1,210 small businesses.
- About 1,300 families received vouchers to Lakeshore Learning to support child development.
- The county contracted with more than 200 organizations to help support residents, job seekers, families and businesses.
Our community was able to benefit from the significant
investment in RISE programs well ahead of the initial federal deadline of Dec. 30,
2020. An aggressive rollout schedule ensured that every federal dollar was
utilized as early and effectively as possible to support families, workers
and small businesses.
Visit our website to learn more about CARES funding and the RISE program.
Evaluation
and accountability
Ramsey County’s goal of accountability rests on the public’s trust that resources are being
properly spent and the entire community is being served. To measure the
effectiveness of our response, we prepared a comprehensive evaluation report
that addresses three primary questions for each of the projects:
- Are Ramsey County residents better off as a result of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act programming?
- Did the project achieve the outcomes the community was seeking?
- How can Ramsey County better attract, retain and support community partners with county contracts?
Rapid utilization of
CARES funding for RISE programs would not have been possible without foundational
work that Ramsey County has undertaken over the past several years that put the
organization in a position to successfully support our community in this time
of crisis. Beginning with the development of a clear vision, mission and goals and following through to our strategic priorities, investments and commitment to racial equity
and community engagement, as well as our strong tradition of fiscal stewardship
and new compliance office, we are an organization with well-defined values,
exceptional staff and aligned areas of focus and approach. Further, we have
developed and fostered strong community partnerships. All of these factors
contributed to our success in providing support to our community in a time of
need.
A review of Ramsey
County’s Popular Annual Financial Reports from the past few years provides the
story of this foundational work.
Looking ahead – to provide additional relief to residents,
families and businesses - the board of commissioners voted to reduce a previously
approved 2021 property tax increase of 4.5% to 0%. How Ramsey County has
adapted operations and services following this reduction of millions of dollars
in planned revenues – as well as how the county utilized federal support
through the American Recovery Plan Act will doubtless be a critical part of the
story told through the 2021 Popular Annual Financial Report.
