Daily News

PVPC Secures More Than $2.25 Million in CARES Act Funding for COVID-19 Relief

SPRINGFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) has successfully secured more than $2.25 million that will benefit communities throughout the region facing challenges related to COVID-19.

Applying and administering these awards on behalf of several lead communities, the PVPC will work regionally to provide funding for businesses through microenterprise assistance programs and provide public services like food assistance, job training, and case-management support services, among others.

Grant funding comes through the Massachusetts Community Development Block Grant COVID-19 program as administrated by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development and appropriated through the federal CARES Act of 2020.

“The CARES Act funding we have secured via the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development will go a long way toward helping stabilize our local communities, their residents, and businesses during these unprecedented times,” PVPC Executive Director Kimberly Robinson said. “In applying for and administering this over $2 million in grants on behalf of our local communities, the PVPC is doing what we do best — adding capacity to local governments to ensure the needs of our Valley are met.”

The awards and geographic areas of impact include:

• $900,000 to Easthampton Regional (Easthampton, Granby, Hadley, Hatfield, South Hadley, Southampton, and Westhampton) for microenterprise business assistance;

• $435,000 to Agawam and Southwick for microenterprise assistance and food assistance;

• $100,572 to Chester Regional (Chester, Blandford, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, and Russell) for food assistance, job training, and case-management support services;

• $430,576 to Ware Regional (Ware, Hardwick, Warren, Agawam, Belchertown, Blandford, Brimfield, Chester, East Longmeadow, Granby, Granville, Hadley, Hampden, Hatfield, Holland, Huntington, Ludlow, Middlefield, Monson, Montgomery, Russell, South Hadley, Southampton, Southwick, Wales, Chesterfield, Palmer, Plainfield, and Westhampton) for domestic-violence victim-safety programs, senior outreach (Ware, Hardwick, Warren, and Belchertown) and virtual adult literacy (Ware, Hardwick, and Warren);

• $250,000 to Spencer for microenterprise assistance and food assistance; and

• $151,200 to Warren for microenterprise assistance.