Guilford County Allocates $104M ARPA Funds Across County Services

Guilford County officials have committed every dollar of the $104.34 million ARPA allocation they received after the 2021 federal law, according to the county’s ARPA tracking dashboard. As of the most recent update, just over $77 million has been spent; the balance remains obligated to projects that are complete, active or still in program development.

The funds were spread across dozens of initiatives rather than concentrated on a single marquee project. A former county commissioner who asked not to be named summed up the experience this way: "it was like being in the movie Brewster’s Millions." Unlike the movie, however, the county must meet federal rules and has no bonus for spending the money quickly.

Infrastructure and core services absorbed a large share of the allocation. Several multi-million-dollar water and sewer projects remain active, including the Gibsonville Highway 61 water connector, the Gibsonville water tank project and stormwater improvements in Jamestown. Those projects fall under ARPA’s encouraged category for long-term capital improvements.

Public safety spending funded completed technology upgrades for the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, hiring and retention incentives for detention officers and paramedics, and personal protective equipment for EMS staff. Many of those expenditures were aimed at stabilizing services that faced staffing shortages and rising costs during the pandemic.

Health and behavioral services also received significant support. Completed programs include a food security initiative, expansion of EMT and paramedic academy capacity, and GCSTOP, a behavioral health and substance use disorder effort involving the county and partners. Several protective services teams and a fire academy remain active under ARPA funding.

Housing stability measures account for a sizeable portion of spending. The county set aside $8 million for a homelessness task force that remains active, and more than $2.2 million for eviction mediation, landlord engagement and tenant support. Those investments target housing instability that rose with pandemic-era job losses.

Early childhood and family services appear across the portfolio, including nearly $1 million for an infant mortality initiative, foster care expansion and navigation and referral services tied to healthy childhood environments. Workforce and small business support, such as career development and expansion efforts at the Forge, were funded on a smaller scale. Broadband investments include mobile capability for rural fire departments to improve emergency response connectivity.

One of the largest single allocations, $10 million, was assigned to the Integrated Service Delivery Network, a multi-priority project still active and categorized as serving multiple county priorities. Other funds were reserved for program development, including an emergency therapeutic transitional foster care program and a legal support center.

Federal rules require ARPA funds to be fully spent by the end of 2026, leaving Guilford County a finite window to complete construction contracts, finalize service programs and close out obligations. For residents, the distribution means ongoing work on local infrastructure, more stable emergency services, targeted housing supports and expanded behavioral health and family services as the county moves to convert obligations into completed projects.