The Johnson County Direct Assistance Program application process has concluded. Eligible applicants will receive notification of selection status to the email address provided in their application.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted on Feb. 24, 2022, to establish the Direct Assistance Program and invest $2 million of Local Fiscal Recovery Funds received through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to provide economic relief and household stabilization to Johnson County residents. The program provides a one-time, $1,400 emergency relief payment to eligible low- to moderate-income residents with documented hardship due to the pandemic.

The Direct Assistance Program application opened on April 25 and closed May 27, 2022. All applicants received communication regarding their eligibility on June 13, 2022. Appeal opportunities were held June 13 through June 23, 2022.

The City of Coralville allocated $27,000, and the City of Iowa City allocated $1.35 million to the Direct Assistance Program to fund additional eligible applicants after Johnson County’s $2 million allocation was expended.

Johnson County received 2,411 applications. Of those applications, 2,238 were determined eligible after initial review and an appeal process. The Direct Assistance Program was able to fund 1,919 residents. Through the respective investments, Coralville funded 19 residents; Iowa City funded 472 residents; and Johnson County funded 1,428 residents.

Individuals who applied for the program and are eligible will receive an email at the address provided at the time of application indicating whether or not they were randomly selected to receive an assistance payment. Selected applicants will receive a mailed check to the address provided during the application process. If you need to update your contact information, please email the Direct Assistance Program staff at [email protected].

Johnson County is committed to utilizing ARPA funds to enhance investments in public services and maximize the impacts of our local fiscal recovery allocation. The County's ARPA Team has been working since February 2021 to build a planning framework and administer funding to benefit Johnson County residents.

More information is available on the Direct Assistance Program website in English at https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/direct-assistance-program or in Spanish at https://johnsoncountyiowa.gov/programa-de-asistencia-directa. 

More information about the American Rescue Plan Act and how it impacts Johnson County is available at https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/arpa.