We are back this week with the final episode of our ARPA Funding in Worcester series. Our guest this is episode is Bill Shaner founder of the “Worcester Sucks and I Love It” newsletter and a previous guest on the show. Josh and Bill talk about how we can continue to stay involved in the conversation surrounding how the remaining ARPA dollars will be spent in Worcester and how we can hold the city accountable so that the funding is sustainable and promoting equity within our community.

Public Hearing is back with another episode of our ARPA Funding In Worcester series with this week’s guest, Ron Waddell. Ron is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Legendary Legacies; a non-profit organization working with black and latino males in the city of Worcester, MA. In this episode, Ron and Josh talk about how we can use the $147 million in ARPA funding that has been granted to the city of Worcester to promote equity and how we can hold city officials accountable as well as how this money can be used to reprioritize how and where we spend resources in our communities in ways that are sustainable.

Public Hearing is back with another episode of our ARPA Funding in Worcester mini-series! This week we discuss mental health with our guest Amy Ebbeson, clinical director at Worcester Addresses Childhood Trauma, also known as Worcester ACTS. In this episode, we talk about the importance of recognizing and addressing mental health issues in our community as well as how crucial it is to also address these kinds of issues in oneself. Education and spreading awareness about mental health not only reduces harmful stigma but can also help individuals live happy and joy-filled lives as well as create equity within our city.

We are back with another episode of our ARPA Funding in Worcester mini-series of Public Hearing. This week’s guest Jeff Turgeon, Executive Director of Mass Hire, continues the conversation to discuss how ARPA dollars can be used to provide funding for business assistance programs such as the Worcester Job Fund. These resources will be able to help employee’s and employers recover from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as assist folks with the cost of necessary training courses in order for them to obtain jobs or positions that require a little bit more formal training.

We are back with another episode of our ARPA Funding in Worcester on Public Hearing! During this episode, our guest, Alex Corrales, the Chief Executive Officer of the Worcester Housing Authority, and Josh talk about ARPA funding will be used to create and maintain affordable housing in Worcester. They discuss the importance of having affordable housing available within the city and how this creates and promotes equity in Worcester as well as helping address the systemic failures that are the root causes of homelessness and access to housing.

Public Hearing is back with part 4 of our ARPA funding in Worcester mini-series. During this episode, we continue our discussion with our guest, Eric Batista, who will be taking over the role of interim City Manager this June, by addressing some of the common questions and concerns from the community about how the money will be spent and how the funding will be used to create and promote equity in Worcester. Another topic addressed in this episode is how we can make information that comes from the city more accessible in order for the public to be more involved in the decision-making process.

We are back with another episode of Public Hearing’s ARPA Funding in Worcester mini-series, with our guest, Jennifer Gaskin, president of the Worcester Caribbean American Carnival Association, which organizes the incredible Worcester Caribbean Festival to showcase some of the arts and culture in our community. This week we are discussing how ARPA dollars can be used to promote Arts & Culture and the local creativity and innovation that Worcester is known for as well as what we as community members might consider advocating for as these funds are distributed.

In this episode of Public Hearing, we continue our conversation about ARPA funding in Worcester with our guest, Nelly Medina, a local mother, educator, activist, organizer, to talk about priority populations and how ARPA dollars can be used to support people disproportionately impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic, especially low-end communities and communities of color. We must listen to the impacted members of the community and hold the city accountable in order to promote equity justice and the pursuit of joy-filled futures for all.

Public Hearing is back this week with another mini-series. During the series, we will be talking with several voices in the community about the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and how the approximately $146 million that Worcester has received from the federal government will be distributed throughout different funding areas in the city: Affordable Housing, Social Services, Mental Health, Business Assistance, and Arts & Culture. In our first episode with Gina Plata-Nino we will be giving an introduction to ARPA and answering some of the questions that have been raised in the community; what is ARPA? How can the money be spent? How can we hold the city accountable for using these funds? In next week’s episode, we will be focusing on how funding can be distributed to priority populations in Worcester to promote equity within the City.