Indiana communities can get some “HELP” spending their American Rescue Plan money. The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs officially announced its Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program (HELP) on Tuesday.
Here’s how it works: OCRA will choose a total of 12 communities or regions, which will be split among three groups. Those communities will then work with experts from the state’s universities to come up with a plan to advance e-connectivity, enhance quality of place, promote community wellness, and strengthen local economies.
In turn, communities will have to contribute at least $20,000 toward a community coordinator position. They also have to commit at least 30 percent of their American Rescue Plan money to projects outlined in the strategic investment plan, which OCRA will match up to $1 million.
Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch and other officials announced the HELP program during a press conference in Evansville Tuesday. She said it will use the pillars of the Stellar Communities program that had been placed on hold when COVID-19 hit.
David Terrell, the executive director of Ball State’s Indiana Communities Institute, said the Stellar program had been successful in encouraging collaboration but said it’s time for a refresh. He hopes HELP will push communities to resist the temptation to spend their federal money without thought.
Locally, the Constellation of Starke Executive Committee, which applied for a Stellar designation in 2019, plans to meet with an OCRA official next week to consider applying for HELP.
It’s not the only development program underway in the state. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation is taking proposals for its Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI). Crouch said that OCRA’s HELP program is meant to complement READI, but communities don’t necessarily have to get READI to get HELP.
Communities interested in applying for HELP can attend a webinar next Wednesday. Applications are due in early October.
