County still waiting on funds from $900k COVID relief grant

ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County still has not received the necessary guidance from the state to begin accepting applications for COVID-19 relief money from residents in need of support for utility, rent and mortgage payments, but county leaders expect that guidance soon.

Richmond County was awarded $900,000 in December as part of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) under the North Carolina CDBG Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) Program, which was authorized by the federal CARES Act of 2020 to help the state respond to COVID-19. Once allocated, the grant will allow for a maximum of $1,000 to be sent to eligible families.

County Manager Bryan Land said he spoke to a representative with the North Carolina Department of Commerce last week who told him the county is “in the pipeline” to receive the funds, but it’s still not clear when that will be.

“They advised Richmond County was in the pipeline to receive the funding and they advised we’re still in a holding pattern,” Land told the Board of Commissioners.

Commissioner Tavares Bostic asked when families could begin applying for assistance. Land replied that the county is not permitted to accept applications prior to the funds being released. But, he added, the county will release the information on how to apply as soon as they hear from the state.

“As soon as they give us the green light and say the funds are on the way, we’re sitting on go,” Land said.

He assured the commissioners it will be a smooth process since the state streamlined the process by making it so the funds no longer need to go through a third party, Economic Development, and it will instead go through the Department of Social Services and the county’s finance office, which have handled grants of this magnitude in the past.