BUFFALO, N.Y. — Since the pandemic began, the City of Buffalo has received $350 million in COVID relief. That money is coming from the federal American Rescue Plan program.
The COVID relief money is not all out yet, but Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown has a plan to use the funding.
With the help of the community, through community meetings, Mayor Brown and his staff came up with different programs.
"Our ultimate hope is that the funding will improve the health of the City of Buffalo, the health of our residents," Brown said. "We will strengthen the City of Buffalo, economically and culturally and create more employment and training opportunities for our residents as well."
The city plans to spend the money in different programs like $2 million in training centers, $20 million in renovation programs and $8 million in support programs.
Mayor Brown said the city has already received half the money that came in last year, and the other half will come in this year.
"And it is our hope that sometime in the next fiscal year for the city, we will begin to see some of the American Rescue Plan money go into the community. So probably after July 1st of this year. We will begin to see that spending," he said.
Even though they have already laid out certain categories of spending, Mayor Brown said it's not too late to voice your ideas. He said he is listening.
"So far, the feedback from the community and how we have laid out this process has been extremely positive," he said.
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