San Mateo County Outlines $360 Million In COVID Recovery Investments

REDWOOD CITY, CA — The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors this week received a report on exactly how pandemic recovery funds have been spent in the county since the pandemic began three years ago.

All told, the county estimates it has invested about $360 million on various recovery initiatives, with more than half going toward housing security efforts, including emergency rental assistance and building new homes.

Another $76 million funded food security programs, and roughly $16 million paid for direct financial relief. Millions more supported relief for small businesses and nonprofits, youth programs and childcare.

"The pandemic shined a light on the gap between the haves and the have nots here in San Mateo County," said Dave Pine, the board's director. "What we have tried to accomplish with these investments is to really focus on programs and projects that address the most basic needs in our community to close that gap."

The county's earliest efforts were built by workgroups that convened in April 2020 to address the burgeoning crisis, with representatives comprised of residents, civic and business leaders and community organizations. Since then, officials said the county received a combined $400 million in federal, state and local funds, plus a few private donations. About $36 million has yet to be allocated.

The board also noted that unemployment in San Mateo County fell to 1.9 percent in December, down from its highest point of 11.7 percent in May 2020.

Here are the specifics about where the money went, per county figures:

• Housing Security
  • $26 million: Emergency financial assistance for rent, utilities, and transportation supported by County, city and private donors assisted 8,807 households
  • $109 million: Emergency rental assistance funded by the state assisted 7,400 households
  • $55 million: Affordable Housing Fund generated 2,500 new units in the housing pipeline
  • $21 million: Creating housing for residents experiencing homelessness by adding 283 non-congregate interim housing units and 52 new permanent housing units
  • $1.5 million: Farmworker housing for a 40-plus unit senior housing development that will include a farmworker resource center

• Food Security
  • $64 million: Great Plates funded by the state and operated by County staff provided 2.9 million meals served to 4,683 older adults
  • $3.9 million: Second Course funded by a County allocation of federal recovery funds provided 99,600 meals to 759 older adults
  • $8.5 million: Second Harvest Food Bank funded by a County allocation of federal recovery funds helped provide 37 million pounds of food annually distributed to more than 36,000 households

• Small Business and Nonprofit Relief
  • $33 million: SMC Strong small-business grants; Microenterprise Home Kitchen grants; Restaurant, Winery and Brewery Grants; and other local business-relief grant programs supported by County, city, foundation and other donations and a County allocation of federal recovery funds assisted more than 7,000 businesses

• Financial Assistance
  • $16 million: Grants for those not eligible for federal assistance ($1,000 grants to 16,017 individuals) supported by a $5 million allocation of County funds

• Childcare
  • $4 million: Childcare Relief Fund supported by a County allocation of federal recovery funds
  • $4.1 million: Childcare Grant Fund supported by a County allocation of federal recovery funds
  • $870,000: Child Care Coordinating Council supported by a County allocation of federal recovery funds (87 family childcare home providers).

• Youth Programs
  • $10.7 million: Summer enrichment programs, Learning Hub Expansion, Out of School care (care outside of school hours) supported by a County allocation of federal recovery funds (220 programs funded)

• Broadband Expansion
  • $6 million: 284 new public Wifi sites, Wifi hotspots in low-income communities and subsidized in-home services supported by a County allocation of federal recovery funds

>> Neighbors can review the full presentation here.