Another Voice: Leaders can use ARP funds to help transform Buffalo

This opinion article was originally seen in the Buffalo News. It was written in conjunction with Nora O'Brien-Suric, PhD. You can see it here.

Public officials in the city of Buffalo are considering whether to use significant federal funds to fill in gaps in the annual budget. We encourage our leaders to use those funds for their original intent: to make transformative change that can improve the lives of people here.

An astounding $331 million was directed to the city through 2021’s American Rescue Plan, a federal effort to support local governments in meeting community needs in the wake of the pandemic.

The plan brought a once-in-a-generation influx of resources into cities such as Buffalo with the goal of making transformational, system-level change to social determinants of health like food access, workforce, housing, transportation, and more. Across the country, ARP funds were used for initiatives like making schools healthier and safer, expanding behavioral health care, or enhancing SNAP benefits so more families had access to healthy food, according to the National Association of Counties.

For decades, the people of Buffalo have dealt with the impact of systemic discrimination, under-resourcing, and disinvestment. Our child poverty rate is among the highest in the country, and our racial health disparities are some of the worst in the state. According to the University at Buffalo, Black Buffalonians are more likely to have serious, chronic, and often preventable diseases with premature mortality rate about 300% higher than whites who live in the Buffalo metro area.
Forms of institutional racism like redlining are the root of these problems, and institutions are typically difficult to change — sometimes because there’s not enough money, and, more often, because our leaders need the political courage to do so. ARP funds gave our city the opportunity to make big, lasting change for the people who live here.

Many Buffalo community groups and organizations have spent significant time and effort on proposals for how those funds can be used to transform our city into a healthier, better place for all our residents, and stand ready to help with this process.
 
The deadline to designate the use of these funds is approaching. The new mayoral administration and council members have the opportunity to show they are committed to innovative, game-changing ways of helping Buffalonians thrive.
We encourage Mayor Christopher Scanlon and the Common Council to use what remains of ARP money to invest in long-term, meaningful change for the people they serve.
 
The Rev. George Nicholas is chief executive officer of the Buffalo Center for Health Equity. Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD, is president of the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York.