Thread by @BrianDeeseNEC

Another morning thread on elements of the American Rescue Plan that are less recognized, but will affect a lot of people’s lives:

It will cut homelessness:
- Homelessness during COVID = economic pain and increased disease transmission
- ARP will help ~80K households get permanent housing
- Create addtl ~32K perm affordable housing units
- Give homeless kids children wrap-around services thru schools

It compensates for the school meals that needy kids are missing:
- 30M kids rely on free/reduced price school meal program to keep from going hungry
- School closures create a crisis for these kids
- ARP gives direct payments to families for the cost of these meals, thru summer

It provides small biz owners w/ risk capital:
- COVID forced 400K small biz to close
- As econ recovers, small biz will urgently need capital access
- ARP creates $10b Small Biz Oppty Fund to leverage 5-10x in capital
- Will focus on underserved firms & places across America

It makes largest investment in our history in Tribal govts and Native communities, incl:
-$20b to stem economic crisis in native communities
- $6b to Native health systems; incl crucial mental health services support
- $1.1 b for Native education; $1 b for tribal child care

It rescues public transit:
- Public transit systems are engines of economic oppty & key to fighting climate change
- COVID threatens PT systems & those who depend on them
- ARP has $28B to protect transit workers from layoffs & support the 7M people who need PT to get to jobs