Gloucester Township To Hold Hearing On CARES Act Money Feb. 16

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Gloucester Township will hold a public hearing on substantial changes to its Community Development Block Grant plan to include $673,546 additional funding in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding on Feb. 16.

All interested persons, groups, and organizations are encouraged to review the Substantial Amendment on public review and to provide public comment during the Zoom meeting, which will take place at 4 p.m.

The CARES Act funding is provided to states and municipalities across the country to help in the fight against the coronavirus. In September, $1.988 billion was provided to m whose residents were at greater risk of facing eviction. Out of that total, $493,426 was earmarked for Gloucester Township.

“These funds can be used to provide temporary financial assistance to meet rental obligations for up to 6 months,” officials with the federal department of Housing and Urban Development said in a release. “The funds are focused toward places with households facing higher risk of eviction.”
Specifically:

• Communities with high rates of individuals in industries with high job loss in states with high unemployment;
• Communities with high rates of businesses in industries with high job loss in states with high unemployment; and
• Concentrations of those most at risk for transmission and risk of eviction, with higher amounts for states with high rates of coronavirus.

The new funding will be added to the township’s fiscal year 2019 annual action plan, and will be used to create “new activities that constitutes at substantial amendment as outlined in the Township’s Citizen Participation Plan,” according to the announcement on the township’s website.

Specifically, it will be used to fund the following:
1. CV1: Camden County Women’s Center coronavirus-related sanitation, equipment and supplies ($19,000)
2. CV1: Gloucester Township Housing Authority sanitation, equipment and supplies ($25,000)
3. CV1/CV3: Small Business Assistance Program ($425,000)
4. CV3: Small Business Technical Assistance ($45,000)
5. CV3: Personal Protective Equipment for Small Businesses and Public Services ($26,000)
6. CV3: Unforgotten Haven Food Resources ($20,000)
7. CV1/CV3: Planning and Implementation ($113,546)

Businesses that qualify can begin applying for loans about a week after the hearing, officials said on Monday night. It doesn’t cost anything to apply, and Triad will be guiding applicants through the entire process. The costs for these services are included under small business assistance.

Below is the information on how to join Wednesday’s Zoom meeting:
URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88440913148
Meeting ID: 884 4091 3148
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,88440913148# US (New York)
Dial by your location
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 884 4091 3148

The coronavirus continues to be a problem for small businesses, as well as a health problem locally. As of Tuesday, there have been 4,424 cases of the coronavirus in Gloucester Township since the pandemic began.

This includes 12 new cases in Gloucester Township among the 90 new cases announced countywide. Altogether, there have been 37,459 coronavirus cases and 983 deaths in Camden County since the pandemic began.

“In the last seven days we are averaging approximately 106 new cases per day, our lowest mark since Nov. 2,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “If we continue to take this pandemic seriously, we can keep driving cases down. As the number of vaccinated persons in the county increases, we can expect to see the spread of this virus diminish even further. If we work together just a few more months, the state of this pandemic could change dramatically.”

Cappelli will be joined by Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) and Assistant Camden County Public Health Coordinator Caryelle Lasher to update the public on the county’s coronavirus pandemic response and vaccine rollout on Camden County’s Facebook page and at camdencounty.com/live. The event will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.