Communities looking for state help with regional development efforts have to adjust to changing programs, as Indiana responds to COVID-19. The Stellar Communities program has helped bring investment to Marshall County and the Town of Culver, while Starke County has also applied for a regional designation.
But the program was put on hold last year, as the Office of Community and Rural Affairs shifted its resources to help communities respond to COVID-19. It remains on hold, as state officials launch their new “HELP” program. Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch says it’s designed specifically to help communities spend their share of federal COVID-19 recovery money.
“We had so many small rural communities reach out to OCRA, the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and ask for help in trying to put together projects and plans to use that money wisely, to stay within compliance of the federal government’s standards but also to put it in meaningful projects,” Crouch tells WKVI News.
But the competitive program has different requirements than Stellar, including a $20,000 local match to fill a “community coordinator” position and a commitment of 30 percent of a community’s American Rescue Plan money. The Constellation of Starke region has opted not to apply for the HELP program, due, in part, to the difficulty of coordinating that regionally. Crouch says most communities do seem to be finding HELP helpful, but OCRA is willing to make tweaks, if necessary.
She stresses that the state still plans to bring back the Stellar program in the future. “We do believe that Stellar is a way to allow our regions to be able to come together and collaborate and have a vision and put in place projects that will move them forward,” Crouch says. “And Starke County has done a great job, and they’re right on the cusp of success, so we don’t want to take that program away.”
In the meantime, Crouch says communities can also get funding through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s new “READI” program.
