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The Boulder County commissioners this week approved an initial slate of 10 projects to address disparities exposed by the pandemic using American Rescue Plan Act relief money.

Projects include providing direct cash assistance to families with young children, creating a new mental health services navigation hub and supporting affordable housing projects.

The projects, totaling $36.5 million, were recommended by three working groups tasked with developing ideas to spend the just over $63 million in American Rescue Plan Act relief money allocated to the county.

The three topic areas the projects address are economic challenges, housing affordability and mental health and social resilience. Those areas were identified through community feedback, with a focus on prioritizing the needs of those disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, according to county staff members.

“We’re going to help people in their daily lives with this money, and I’m excited about that,” Commissioner Matt Jones said. “Most people have been hurt by the pandemic in one way or another, but there are people of lesser means who really got the hit, if you will.”

The working groups, which included community members, nonprofit and business leaders, advocates, policy experts, and county staff members and leadership, met from February to May to develop proposals. Their proposals were presented to the commissioners at a public hearing on May 3.

Two of the approved projects address economic challenges. One provides up to $7.5 million in grants to area nonprofit organizations, while the other provides $6 million in direct cash assistance to families with young children.

The county hasn’t yet determined income thresholds for the direct cash assistance project, but the plan is to provide up to $300 a month per 0 to 3-year-old child to low-income families. Families would not be limited in how they could spend the money, allowing them to pay for child care, food, basic needs or to support staying home to care for their children.

Two more projects address housing affordability. The county is allocating $7 million to push  forward affordable housing projects already in the pipeline, while $5 million would go to create a fund to help residents buy mobile home parks from their outside owners.

Along with helping residents purchase parks, the money could be used for major infrastructure improvements for resident-owned parks or parks whose landlords commit to long-term affordability. Park residents also could apply for money for home repair projects.

Six projects were approved in the mental health and social resilience category. Those include $3 million for community mobile response teams to help those in crisis without involving law enforcement, as well as $3 million to create an online community hub to connect people with mental health resources.

The remaining four projects support more equitable access to mental health services.

Those projects allocate $3 million for community-based grants, $1 million for mental health vouchers for individuals, $500,000 for school-based services and $500,000 for community mental health trainings.

Timelines will vary by project, depending on complexity and planning needed, with a goal of rolling out projects by the end of the year, said Boulder County policy analyst Leslie Irwin. Some also will require the county to add more staff members, she said.

“That’s a lot of new projects to stand up,” she said. “We’re all getting ready for that.”

Along with the 10 projects approved this week, the county is still considering several other recommended projects. The commissioners also previously approved spending an initial $5.5 million in October to pay for immediate needs and administration of the grant.

Projects still under consideration include a regional housing partnership, grants to support small businesses and seed money to support the development of an “early childhood community village” location in southeast Longmont.

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