The pandemic and lockdown have been extremely hard on most of us, emotionally and financially.
On top of this, there has been a housing crisis in many areas of the state for a very long time, Santa Fe included.
Thankfully, the city of Santa Fe is planning to do something about it!
According to city documents, the plan is to allocate $6.9 million, or about 45.9 percent, of the funds to community health and safety programs — including cash assistance programs and support for the city's homeless population. A portion of the funds also will be used to continue to retrofit city buildings against COVID-19 and purchase more protective equipment. —Sean P. Thomas
This seems to be a good use of the money, considering that the virus has not completely come to a halt and people are still at risk.
The homeless issue is real, and affordable housing is rare these days, especially in Santa Fe, so I'm glad the city is putting this cash to good use!
"Economic health, including support for small business and job training assistance programs, will receive $4.3 million, or 28.6 percent of the funds." —Sean P. Thomas
Many small businesses could definitely use the help: Many of them offer ethically sourced products that consumers love!
Furthermore, a lot of folks are looking for jobs, so these programs will likely be immensely beneficial!
I'm glad that Santa Fe has decided to invest in education.
"Children and youth support services will get $1.15 million to help support the creation of a college and career youth work corps. Just under $1 million will go toward administrative costs to oversee the funds dispersal, according to city documents." —Sean P. Thomas
Santa Fe is largely composed of retirees, so it's heartening to see these efforts being made to support the youth!
These are certainly welcome changes to many, but patience may be in order: No meaningful transformation can happen overnight, after all!
"The city intends to approve a budget adjustment resolution to allow for department heads to spend the money before the start of the upcoming fiscal year on July 1...The funds must be spent by the end of 2024." —Sean P. Thomas
It seems that the residents of The City Different have a lot to look forward to, as long as they're willing to play a bit of a waiting game.
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