Kaptur Calls on Lorain County Commissioners To Reinstate $4.6 Million Stripped from Local Organizations

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), released the following statement calling on the Lorain County Board of Commissioners to reinstate $4.6 million in funding it recently rescinded from local organizations and agencies. Allocated funding was recently revoked after a vote led by the Board's two new County Commissioners. The Board is planning to meet Wednesday, January 27.

"This short-sighted shell game with the public's money has to stop," said Rep. Kaptur. "In Lorain County, $4.6 million in federal resources will go a long way when entrusted to our partners in fighting the COVID pandemic. Congress passed, on a bipartisan basis, federal CARES Act funding to help local communities augment services and navigate through the global pandemic. The decision by the previous Board of Commissioners to make funds available to worthy initiatives throughout the county leveraged the availability of CARES Act funding to carry out important community work. At a time like this, to revoke funding from struggling non-profits and county agencies that have been battered by unprecedented demand on their resources undermines their ability to respond and the confidence of our citizenry in the community response. The Lorain County Board of Commissioners should reinstate the $4.6 million in funding for these critical social service organizations."

A few of the impacted organizations as reported by The Chronicle-Telegram:

Lorain County Health & Dentistry, suffered the loss of a $150,000 grant it had planned to use for community medical, dental, COVID-19 testing and other health care needs
LCADA Way, an organization that cares for individuals and families struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, lost $200,000 in pandemic assistance that would have covered expanded services and outreach to rural areas and prevention classes in schools.
Various veterans service organizations and posts, were stripped of $125,000 in funding
The Lorain County Office on Aging was denied $75,000
Lorain County Community College's Small Business Development Center lost $250,000, while an additional $125,000 destined for scholarships for nursing and EMT students also was rescinded
Road to Hope Inc. of Lorain and Erie counties, Alpha House in Oberlin, and Let's Get Real Inc. of Lorain, and other addiction and recovery organizations forfeited a total of $800,000 in expected funding
Firelands Counseling and Recovery Services, which lost $100,000 promised by the county
Avon Lake Community Resource Services lost $75,000
North Ridgeville Community Care lost $75,000
The Elyria YWCA and Pathways Enrichment Center in Lorain, both of which lost $2,000 grants

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