Watch Announcement Here
NASSAU COUNTY, NY – As part of her sweeping initiative to restore financial health and create jobs and opportunities lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran was joined on Friday by elected officials, members of her Economic Advisory Council and community stakeholders to announce her proposal to use $62,900,000 from the American Rescue Plan to fund a robust economic recovery and community investment package. County Executive Curran has submitted legislation to the County Legislature that delivers relief for small businesses, residential and commercial renters, revitalizes main streets and downtowns, and rebuilds Nassau’s water infrastructure while supporting workforce development, senior citizens, veterans, youth programs and more.
The County has launched a new online portal at www.nassaucountyny.gov/BoostNassau that will serve as a one-stop-shop to determine eligibility for federal, state, and County programs and apply for available recovery grants, loans and other assistance programs and initiatives, including support to school and special districts. For those needing additional information and support, Nassau County staff will be available by appointment (phone or in person) at the new Boost Nassau Resource Center, a County facility at Eisenhower Park.
“It’s been a long road to recovery, but Nassau County is poised to come back stronger than ever,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. “I want our residents and businesses in Nassau to know that more help is on the way. While all of this funding is being made available, the typical complexity and bureaucracy that often surrounds these types of programs may keep a resident or business owner from seeking and obtaining the help they need,” said Curran. “We are taking the guesswork out of the process and providing the resources and assistance residents need in one place.”
The County Executive’s proposal was developed in coordination with her Economic Advisory Council, which is comprised of diverse members of the Nassau County community, including stakeholders from business, non-for-profits, civic associations, and labor organizations. The Economic Advisory Council also commissioned a survey in partnership with Hofstra University to assess the County’s economic and pandemic recovery needs.
“County Executive Curran is leading the way for Nassau to once again rise above and recover even stronger from the pandemic,” said Richard Kessel, Chairman of the Nassau County IDA and Co-Chair of the County Executives Economic Advisory Council. “We are open for business, and this is a comprehensive effort to assist Nassau’s recovery. We thank County Executive Curran for her leadership.”
The Boost Nassau Online Portal is available at: https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/boostnassau
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran’s Economic Recovery and Community Investment Plan includes the following:
Economic Recovery ($32,5000)
- Boost Nassau Main Street Small Business Grant Program - $10,000,000
- Capitalizing on the success of the County’s Restaurant Recovery Grant Program, the program proposes to utilize $10M to support a wide range of small businesses in the retail sector, at $10,000 per eligible business (under 50 employees and other criteria).
- Boost Nassau Small Business Loan Program- $10,000,000
- Following the model of the County’s successful Boost Nassau Loan program, Nassau proposes to utilize $10M to launch a new low interest loan program designed to assist small businesses and non-profits recover and grow post-pandemic.
- Workforce Development- $10,000,000
- Funds for apprenticeship programs for various key skilled workers needed in construction and building trades including training and educational programming for private and public sector jobs; enhanced entrepreneurial skills training and development to encourage key industry growth and expand opportunities for small businesses and MWBEs; retraining and upskilling programs through local colleges and universities, BOCES, and other partners. May include stipends to qualified individuals to promote return to work by addressing barriers to workforce entry such as unmet costs for childcare, transportation, or other living expenses.
- Boost Nassau Resource Center Technical Assistance Partner - $1,000,000
- Boost Nassau Resource Center Staffing, Supplies, Ad buy - $500,000
- Boost Nassau Tourism Program - $500,000
- Technical Assistance Grants to Chamber of Commerce and Business Improvement Districts – $500,000
Water Infrastructure ($9M)
- Groundwater Conservation Program- $3,000,000
- The County currently has a program to reimburse property and small business owners who replace their aging or failing onsite cesspools/septic system, the largest single cause of degraded ground and surface water quality, with an upgraded nitrogen removing septic system. The current grant is capped at $10,000 for homeowners to upgrade systems, which can be very costly. These funds would increase the total award to $20,000 per property owner.
- Multi-Year Regional Groundwater Conservation Program - $6,000,000
- This program is a multi-pronged, five-year phased plan to address policy and practices that will lower regional water demand, lay the foundation to change the water use culture on Long Island, and advance needed technology and water infrastructure to conserve groundwater. The five-year program includes a variety of initiatives and implementation strategies such as expanding the County’s Smart Sprinkler Rebate program to incentivize homeowners to install water saving devices that reduce their irrigation reliance, especially during the summer months; target public education and professional training on conservation as it relates to lawn care; launch a municipal buildings low-flow fixtures survey program; display a bi-county sustainable lawn showcase; require water suppliers to implement automated meter reading technology and updated water bills to show water consumption,
Community Investment ($17.9M)
- Health and Services Grant Programs - $10,000,000
- Provides additional funding to Social Services non-profit contractors to support programs addressing food insecurity, employment services, child care, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and PINS education and diversion services. Additionally, funding will provide services for those in the criminal justice system who have co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders with wrap around services.
- Behavioral Health Support - $3,400,000
- Funding all agencies within the Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Developmentally Disabled division within $60,000 to deliver prescribed deliverables consistent with their missions. The contractors provide services that enable those with mental illness, chemical addiction and/or developmental disability to maintain their well-being, recover from addictions, function and live safely and successfully.
- Expansion of Office of the Aging Programs- $2,100,000
- Funding non-profit contractors serving Seniors in health, counseling, legal services, homecare, transportation, nutrition and recreation.
- Expansion of Youth Services- $1,400,000
- Funding increase of 20% in contracts with non-profit agencies that provide a variety of services to youth including educational and academic support, afterschool programs, counseling, youth employment and recreational programs.
- Veterans Support Programs- $1,000,000
- Funding for Veterans case management, access to healthcare, mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, emergency and transitional housing, home improvements for service disabled Veterans, financial literacy/planning, guidance to education benefits, home improvements for service-connected disabilities, employment training counseling, food pantry, transportation support and clothing.
Educational Technology ($3.5M)
- Assistance to School Districts- $2,500,000
- Funding to expand and implement digital literacy support, like improving students’ ability to find, evaluate, and clearly communicate information through media on various digital platforms. Additional, outreach for low-cost and subsidized broadband service to students in need and to expand essential access to the internet. There will be a focus on coordinating with funding that schools are eligible to receive in order to support district efforts, like potential matching funds where allowable.