With the last of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, we opted to earmark an estimated $24 million to assist eight Denton County nonprofits that provide services to our residents.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the federal government passed the first of several tranches of funds to states, counties, and larger cities to assist those affected. The ARPA funds were the last federal funds sent to counties in connection with the pandemic. Denton County Commissioners have allocated the federal funds for projects that will benefit residents in the long term.
After much discussion and consideration, the Denton County Commissioners Court unanimously approved the one-time allotments to the following:
$8 million to Denton County Friends of the Family as the first installment of funding for a new justice center campus in Denton that will serve domestic abuse victims with a full range of services from housing and childcare to court and sheriff’s office services at one location. dcfof.org
$6 million to Giving Grace, a Denton-based nonprofit providing help for individuals and families with children suffering homelessness and housing instability. Grace Like Rain and Giving Hope merged to create Giving Grace, which is planning a Community of Hope to provide housing with support for up to 75 families. givinggrace.org
$3 million to the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County, which has created a Denton County Boys & Girls Club serving our local children and their families. The local branch currently provides mobile services in several neighborhoods across the county and is looking to establish the first brick and mortar location in Lewisville. bgcgtc.org/denton
$3 million to Christian Community Action in Lewisville, a longtime nonprofit that serves anyone from Denton County seeking their help. CCA provides food as well as wrap-around services from job training to counseling and more. ccahelps.org
$1 million for Ranch Hands Rescue, which supports Bob’s House of Hope, the first in the country to provide housing and assistance for boys and young men who have been victims of human sex trafficking. ranchhandsrescue.org
$1 million for Special Abilities of North Texas, which provides a day-time location to empower adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through individualized skills and socialization support. specialabilities.net
$80,000 to the Denton County Lawyers Foundation, a nonprofit aiding educational projects, direct legal services projects, and charitable projects aimed at meeting the law-related needs of the public and the profession. A major project is the annual Adoption Day, where foster children and their new families are treated with gifts and fun activities to celebrate the official adoptions. dentoncountylawyersfoundation.com
Denton County is also partnering with Life Works Community in Denton, which is dedicated to assisting individuals with intellectual disabilities to live a fulfilled life. The plan is to help the entity with a permanent home. facebook.com/life.works.community
While we could not provide funding to all the many wonderful nonprofits across Denton County with the last of these ARPA funds, we have spent upwards of an additional $25-$30 million in nonprofit grants to many of them in addition to food assistance since the federal funds were first earmarked for Denton County in 2020.
The last of these funds have been allocated as of December 31, 2024, as required by the federal government.
It has been our goal from the beginning to assist where needed with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to effect lasting change to help individuals and families in need.
Contact Commissioner Dianne Edmondson by email at [email protected] or phone her at 972-434-3960. You can also stop by her office in the Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Suite 900, in Flower Mound.