Fayette receives funding for emergency food, shelter needs
The Fayette County Emergency Food and Shelter Board recently received nearly $300,000 in federal funding to support local service organizations.
Board Chairman Roy Shipley, who also serves as the director for Fayette County Emergency Management Agency, said the group has received an annual allotment from the national United Way for decades, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) budget.
For 2022, that funding totaled $71,021. The board also received $219,510 in American Rescue Plan Act funding. Shipley said that funding is 鈥渃ompletely separate from and not part of鈥� the anticipated $25 million in ARPA funding that Fayette County stands to receive over the next few years.
Upon receipt of funding, Shipley said, eligible organizations can apply for grants to use in administering a variety of local programs, including food pantries; rent, mortgage and utility assistance; emergency and mass shelter; and more.
For 2022, the board awarded all funding to the Fayette County Community Action Agency, City Mission Living Stones and Salvation Army of Uniontown.
鈥淭hey鈥檒l use that funding to address some of the needs that are still there from the pandemic,鈥� Shipley said.
Shipley said not many people know about the federal grant funding, because the board primarily exists as an administrator for the funding and resource network for organizations during disasters and other states of emergency.
The funds must be used by Dec. 31.