City receives substantial housing initiative grant from MO Dept. of Economic Development

Funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), this program is focused on investing in communities of all sizes to support local priorities, encourage economic recovery, and build resilience for the future. 

In recent months, City leaders with the help of their consultant, Guidehouse, have established a prioritized list of unfunded needs that would qualify for ARPA grant applications.

“This is great news for the City and our community,” said Nick Edwards, City Manager. “This grant provides funding to establish several programs for the City’s Affordable Housing Preservation initiative and help improve our neighborhoods and clean up areas of neglect and disrepair. Council set these goals in 2020 and allows us much needed resources to address declining neighborhoods and provide more affordable housing.”

The grant provides $3.5 million and with the City’s ARPA match contribution, the City of Joplin will have $7 million committed to community revitalization and establish several programs, including:

• $2 million for minor home repairs, defined as no more than $40,000 per household
• $2 million for demolition of dangerous structures
• $3 million for down payment assistance, and closing costs, defined as no more than 20% and not to exceed $40,000 per applicant.

“We’re thrilled for what this will mean for the community,” he said. “With this funding, we believe we will be able to see real and significant improvements. These grants are very competitive, and we want to thank all who were a part of this process. Our application included support letters from Representative Lane Roberts, then Senator Bill White, then Congressman Billy Long, Jasper County Commissioners Darieus Adams and John Bartosh, the entire Newton County Commission, EastTown Dreams District, Economic Security Corporation, Downtown Joplin Alliance, Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, Ozark Gateway Association of Realtors, Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity, Joplin R-VIII Schools, and North Heights Neighborhood Association. This grant received overwhelming support from our political leaders, as well as representatives across the community, and we appreciate the community lift. City staff and our consultant, Guidehouse, worked very hard to make this happen and will be a part of this significant step of improving Joplin’s housing stock and availability.”

Other Joplin recipients from this program are Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity and Main Street Joplin.

More information, excerpts from Missouri Governor Parson’s news release:

The program, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and part of Governor Parson’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget plan, is focused on investing in communities of all sizes to support local priorities, encourage economic recovery, and build resilience for the future.

“We’re excited to announce these significant investments through the Community Revitalization Grant Program to help strengthen our communities and the future of our state,” Governor Parson said. “As we continue our work to ensure our state’s economy remains strong, these grant awards will make a real difference for local communities. Projects funded through this program will benefit Missourians all across our state by supporting critical services and addressing local needs.”

A total of $100 million was allocated to the program. A portion of the funding total was reserved for each Missouri region based on population, and every region except for the North region exhausted its reserved portion. DED will hold a second round of funding for the North region, which initially had $10 million available and will have approximately $4 million available in the second round. Details on the second round will be shared at a later date. 

To learn more about DED’s ARPA-funded grant programs, visit ded.mo.gov/arpa.