Indianapolis City Council passes CARES Act allocations

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis City Council has passed $76 million in federal CARES Act COVID-19 Relief allocations.

It's the third and final application of the funding and extends existing programs formed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Joe Hogsett's office said Wednesday.

It also funds the creation of several new initiatives.

The allocations were introduced Wednesday by Hogsett at a special meeting.

The package includes $7.5 million for the city's rental assistance program, bringing total funding to $30 million for the program.

Money also will go toward food access, secondary and adult education and a homeless winter contingency program.

'œThese appropriations will fully spend down all of our remaining federal funding in the hopes that these new and expanded programs will provide hope to our neighbors when they need it the most,'ť Hogsett said in a news release. 'œBut we know that these dollars are woefully insufficient to address the full need in our community. We urgently request that members of Congress act to provide additional relief for those suffering in our city.'ť

The city previously had allocated more than $92 million in relief funds.

The $2.2 trillion CARES Act was passed by Congress in March to help states cope with the coronavirus pandemic quickly.