By Tashi McQueen, AFRO Political Writer,
Report for America Corps Member,
tmcqueen@afro.com
As funds from Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) continue to flow down to communities across the nation, Mayor Brandon Scott spoke with the AFRO about his use of the money and his plan of action to improve Baltimore.
“ARPA has been a great asset to help us stabilize our community and ensure things don’t return to pre-pandemic levels,” said Scott to the AFRO. “We are putting the funds towards areas where residents say they need it the most.”
The Mayor’s Office has allocated millions towards a broad scope of community endeavors, from modernizing Baltimore programs and facilities to COVID-19 safety efforts.
Violence prevention is one of the top focus areas for the Mayor.
“Baltimore has a historic investment into violence prevention,” said Scott. “It is Baltimore’s longest-standing public health challenge.”
According to statistics released by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, there were more than 12,300 violent crimes in Baltimore in 2021. That number was up from the 11,101 violent crimes recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) before the coronavirus pandemic in 2019.
“We are putting $50 million into community-centered and public health solutions for curing the disease of violence,” said Scott. “We are looking to partner with those working in violence prevention like ‘We Our Us,’ to have a direct impact.”
“We Our Us” is a movement that has been around for about six years. In that time, they have created spaces for the men of Baltimore to consistently uplift boys and young men and obtain resources that aid their collective goals.
“Baltimore has to evolve its way of thinking because policing alone will not fix the issue,” he said.
Mayor Scott also released money for funding to assist the “most vulnerable communities.”
In September, Scott released a third round of ARPA funding for nonprofits supporting Baltimore communities in need. The funds totaled over $13 million between the 15 organizations most recently selected.
“We put $100 million into addressing blight in our city,” said Scott. “Dealing with vacant homes and housing projects sitting unfinished in neighborhoods like Uplands, Tivoli and Park Heights so the residents can see real change,” he said.
The Mayor’s administration put $3.2 million of ARPA money into modernizing the Baltimore city government and improving its service performance and efficiency.
The initiative would aid the Mayor’s promise to produce “innovative” changes to data, design, and technology usage across the city.
Scott mentioned his desire to support the older generation of Baltimore through ARPA.
“We are putting funds towards initiatives that will benefit our ‘legacy residents’ and older adults,” he said. “My office will encourage housing upgrades to ensure seniors can age in place.”
Scott said he is proud of his administration’s efforts to “benefit the people” by reopening recreation centers and creating six new school buildings.
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