NCLM Volume 70, Issue 4, 2020

SOUTHERN CITY QUARTER 4 2020 38 In Winston-Salem , community relief efforts are run through the COVID-19 Response Fund for Forsyth County. Administered by the United Way of Forsyth County and the Winston-Salem Foundation, the City of Winston-Salem pledged $1 million—from unallocated economic development bond money in 2014 and 2018—to match donations from foundations and local corporations, insti- tutions, and individuals. The City of Asheville acted before city hall had even opened, announcing in June that they had disbursed over $3 million to local businesses and nonprofits in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. “These dollars are especially vital as they have helped keep construction of afford- able housing moving forward, families fed, and our nonprofits up and running,” the city’s press release read. Fund- ing included federal dollars from the Community Development Block Grant Photo Credit: Shutterstock. (CDBG) and HOME programs, and the City also contributed from their GO Bond for affordable housing and the Housing Trust Fund program. The City of Jacksonville , due to its standing as an “Entitlement City” with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, receives yearly funding through the CDBG. Under that designation, they also received some continued from page 37 CARES Act funding. When that money was received, they established the Utility Payment Program. The program is designed to assist residents that were directly affected by the COVID-19 pan- demic, whether through job loss, reduced hours, or another similar situation. For those residents and families, up to three months of funding became available to help with utility payments. In Winston-Salem, community relief efforts are run through the COVID-19 Respond Fund for Forsyth County. The City of Winston-Salem pledged $1 million to match donations from foundations and local corporations, institutions, and individuals.