Guilford County, North Carolina 

Recovery Plan 

State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 

2021 Report 

Covering the period from 6/1/2021 through 7/31/2021 

 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 1

Guilford County, North Carolina 

2021 Recovery Plan 

Table of Contents 

General Overview ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 

1) Executive Summary ............................................................................................................. 3 

2) Uses of Funds ..................................................................................................................... 3 

3) Promoting Equitable Outcomes ........................................................................................... 4 

4) Community Engagement ..................................................................................................... 5 

5) Labor Practices .................................................................................................................... 5 

6) Use of Evidence .................................................................................................................. 5 

7) Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category ...................................................................... 6 

Project Inventory .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 

To be included and completed as obligations and expenses are incurred after July 31, 2021 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 2

GENERAL OVERVIEW 

1) Executive Summary  

Activity through July 31, 2021 

Guilford County, North Carolina, received $52,169,876 in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund  

(SLFRF) support on June 1, 2021.  The Guilford County Board of Commissioners formally 

appropriated these funds into a special revenue fund on July 15, 2021.  As of July 31, 2021, the 

County has not spent any of its State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) allocation.  

(Note:  Guilford County’s fiscal year runs from July 1 of one calendar year to June 30 of the 

following calendar year.) 

While Guilford County has not spent SLFRF dollars as of July 31, 2021, the Board of 

Commissioners allocated $718,000 of these funds in its 2021‐2022 budget, adopted on June 17, 

2021, to accelerate work to reduce racial disparities in maternal health and infant mortality

(Every Baby Guilford) and reduce harm cause by opioid misuse by expanding capacity and 

services of the Guilford County Solution to the Opioid Problem (GCSTOP) program. The Board 

also allocated up to $500,000 of its SLFRF funding to establish adequate time‐limited staff 

support for the administration, oversight, data collection and analysis, and evaluation of SLFRF 

funding and to identify and evaluate innovative and transformational long‐term community 

investments.   

More information about these and other SLFRF‐funded programs will be included in the next 

report, which will cover activity from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022. 

Looking Forward 

As described in other sections of this document, the County has prepared a COVID Recovery 

Funding Plan that includes engaging residents in a deliberate and thoughtful process to solicit 

community voice regarding the best use of its SLFRF allocation for long‐term recovery.  Efforts 

are also underway to evaluate the best ways to leverage and maximize additional recovery 

support expected from the federal and state governments.  The North Carolina General 

Assembly is finalizing its budget negotiations which will include additional pandemic‐related 

funding for local governments.  A state budget is expected by the end of September 2021.  The 

County expects its planning efforts to conclude in late Fall 2021, with SLFRF funding decisions 

being made shortly thereafter. 

Progress on the County’s community engagement activities and approved projects related to 

SLFRF dollars can be found online at: COVID Recovery Plan. 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 3

2) Uses of SLFRF Allocation 

As discussed in Section 1, Guilford County did not obligate or spend any SLFRF dollars as of July 

31, 2021.  Some SLFRF funds are included in the County’s 2021‐2022 fiscal year budget, which 

began on July 1, 2021. 

Guilford County has initiated is COVID Recovery Plan to help develop a well‐supported blueprint 

for spending SLFRF dollars for a strong and equitable recovery from the COVID‐19 pandemic 

and economic downturn.  This plan was reviewed by the Board of Commissioners at a work 

session on July 15, 2021 and initiated shortly thereafter.  Portions of this plan are expected to 

be paid for from the County’s SLFRF allocation. 

This plan is structured according to the following principles: 

 Center community voice in decision‐making; 

 Honor County values of equity/inclusion, accountability, service excellence, and 

transparency/communication; 

 Build on foundation of existing County and regional efforts; 

 Maximize funding by cross‐mapping initiatives against more restrictive funding streams 

and State/Federal opportunities; 

 Invest in best practices by adding capacity, infrastructure, and expertise early; and, 

 Focus on sustainability with one‐time uses or by establishing a path to sustainability 

The County’s plan is divided into three broad categories: (1) Near‐Term Growth and Recovery, 

(2) Long‐Term Growth and Recovery, and (3) Existing Projects & Community Support. 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 4

The County’s Near‐Term Growth and Recovery work is designed to identify critical needs and 

provide support for initiatives that produce positive near‐term and sustainable impacts 

primarily in Qualified Census Tracts.  A Request for Proposals to the community will be released 

in early September, with funding allocations anticipate by mid‐ to late‐fall.  

The County’s Long‐Term Growth and Recovery work is designed to identify opportunities for 

additional transformational support in QCT’s and in areas across the county that have been 

negatively impacted by the pandemic.  This is expected to be complex systems‐level work that 

builds on Near‐Term initiatives, an engaged community voice, and new levels of stakeholder 

collaboration to produce long‐term fundamental change in our county.   

The Long‐Term Growth and Recovery effort will begin with an extensive community engagement 

effort  to  hear  from  residents  and  incorporate  their  voices  into  funding  decisions.    Initiatives 

include a county‐wide resident survey and intensive localized engagement efforts with residents, 

private and non‐profit business sections, and area government partners.  Additional work will 

focus  on  building  a  comprehensive  understanding  of  our  community’s  broadband  assets  and 

gaps, as well as how the pandemic has impacted our county.  Our community engagement work 

will  expand  our  knowledge  about  our  residents’  experiences  during  the  pandemic  and  their 

thoughts and perceptions around impact and investment priorities.  The engagement will also 

help identify existing efforts underway external partners and the optimal intersection of SLFRF 

resources with various community projects and initiatives. 

As of late August 2021, the County is in the selection phase for vendors to assist with a 

broadband infrastructure, gaps, and action plan analysis; a pandemic impact analysis of our 

local economy and workforce, and a consultant to assist with community engagement efforts.  

Design of our resident survey is near completion, as well.   

Finally, the County is continuing its Existing Projects and Community Support to advance 

recovery and growth.  These programs were initiated before Guilford County received its SLFRF 

allocation and have been supported by local funds or available non‐SLFRF federal and state 

funds.  Activities include, among others: 

 General Public Health Response and Vaccination Efforts 

County teams continue to respond to the pandemic by providing COVID‐19 vaccinations 

through its own clinics and support of community events and operating and supporting 

community testing and contract tracing activities.  In addition, on August 26, 2021, the 

Guilford County Board of Commissioners, acting in its capacity as  the Board of Health, 

implemented a mandatory masking rule for indoor business and public spaces throughout 

the County.  The Public Health Department is charged with educating business owners 

and residents about the new requirement and enforcing compliance, where necessary. 

The  County  is  also  working  with  the  University  of  North  Carolina  at  Greensboro  on  a 

vaccine messaging and support analysis to explore COVID‐19 vaccination rates and causes 

for disparities in vaccination by race, ethnicity, national origin, sex and gender, disability 

status,  age,  income,  geography,  and  other  socio‐economic  and  cultural  factors.  This 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 5

assessment will be used by the County and related organizations to determine priorities, 

make  improvements,  and  allocate  resources  for  health  messaging  and  better  vaccine 

coverage especially in vulnerable populations and those with existing health disparities. 

The  study  will  identify  drivers  of  COVID‐19  vaccine  hesitancy;  identify  influential 

messengers, partners, and community gatekeepers in communities of color; and develop 

culturally appropriate and community‐acceptable approaches  to improving vaccination 

availability, accessibility, and confidence in these communities based on resident input. 

 Emergency Rental Assistance 

As of July 31, 2021, the County has spent approximately $2.9 million of ERAP, ERAP2, and 

local rental support  funds to help residents avoid eviction.  These allocations generally 

represent  funding  provided  to  residents  outside  of  the  municipal  limits  of  the  City  of 

Greensboro.    Greensboro,  which  has  about  55%  (299,000)  of  total  county  residents, 

received its own allocation of ERAP funds. 

 Eviction Prevention and Diversion 

Guilford County is using part of its ERAP funding to partner with the Center for Housing 

and Community Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro on an Eviction 

Prevention and Diversion initiative to preserve tenancy, reduce cost‐burden, strengthen 

community  efficacy,  and  assure  landlords  of  being  reimbursed  for  rental  arrears.  

Interventions to address housing instability in Guilford County during the pandemic has 

three key components: 1) a triage system of housing counseling and resource navigation 

that will guide tenants through options to address rental arrears, address cost burden, 

and connect with existing resources in the community (including but not limited to the 

ERAP and other COVID‐19 resources); 2) an eviction mediation service that facilitates a 

resolution to pending or eminent evictions; and 3) a training program to build capacity in 

vulnerable and low‐income renter communities to address the factors which may lead to 

eviction and/or housing instability 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 6

A high‐level implementation timeframe for the County’s COVID Recovery Plan is presented in 

the following chart.  

Specific next steps for the County’s plan are presented in the following chart. 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 7

Upon completion of the individual phases identified above, specific spending initiatives will be 

approved.  These initiatives will be included in future editions of this Recovery Plan.  

3) Promoting Equitable Outcomes  

As discussed in other sections, Guilford County is implementing a broad community 

engagement effort to ensure staff hears and learns from all parts of our community.  This 

community voice will be used to design an equitable and sustainable recovery and growth plan. 

While a formal equity strategy will be developed as part of our current planning process, the 

County is working to incorporate equity into the design and implementation of its current 

programs.  Examples of current work include:  

 Extensive work with partners at UNC‐G to identify several areas of high poverty and housing 

cost burdens within the City of High Point for intensive Emergency Rental Assistance 

Program (ERAP) education and outreach.  This collaborative work resulted in nearly 70% of 

approved ERAP applications being received from and 63% of actual assistance paid to 

residents from three high‐priority zip codes that are in or adjacent to the Qualified Census 

Tracts (QCT’s) in the City of High Point.  Additional approved applications and assistance are 

associated with areas in or near other QCT’s in the County.   This is an on‐going project. 

 Engaged UNC‐G for an analysis to explore COVID‐19 vaccination rates and causes for 

disparities in vaccination by race, ethnicity, national origin, sex and gender, disability status, 

age, income, geography, and other socio‐economic and cultural factors.  This is an on‐going 

project. 

 Contracted with a national survey firm for an initial broad‐based community survey that will 

be demographically representative of County residents, allowing for the identification of 

pandemic‐related issues and challenges at the QCT and other hyper‐local levels.  

 Specific requirements built into our RFP’s to identify and address equity concerns, such as a 

requirement for our broadband study vendor to conduct an analysis and assessment of the 

County’s role and next steps in advancing digital equity and inclusion and our economic 

analysis vendor to identify how the pandemic has negatively impacted different groups in 

our County. 

The  County’s  emphasis  on  promoting  equitable  outcomes  will  continue  with  projects  funded 

from  SLFRF  dollars.    For  example,  the  County  plans  to  use  some  of  its  SLFRF  allocation  to 

accelerate its Every Baby Guilford program discussed in Section  1.  Using a  racial equity lens, 

Every  Baby  Guilford  is  building  a  radically  inclusive  collective  action  movement  that  builds 

collaborative  solutions,  centers the  community  (people,  parents,  children,  and  families),  and 

works  together with  community members,  frontline  caregivers,  health  care  systems  civic and 

government  leaders,  faith‐based  organizations,  and  city  and  county  officials  to  disrupt 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 8

longstanding racial disparities and health outcomes for Black mothers and their babies in Guilford 

County. 

In addition, in mid‐June 2021, the Board of Commissioners added a new Equity, Inclusion, and 

Diversity Manager position to the County Administration team.  This position will work across the 

county to incorporate the Board’s core values of equity and inclusion throughout the county’s 

operations,  policies,  and  decision‐making  processes,  including  those  used  to  allocate  SLFRF 

dollars and evaluate impacts. 

4) Community Engagement  

At the time this interim Recovery Report was prepared, the County was finalizing the contract 

for a broad community engagement initiative and the design of a county‐wide resident survey.  

Future iterations of this report will include more details about these and other engagement 

activities that are approved by the County and funded with SLFRF dollars. 

In addition to the evolving community engagement work, County staff has met multiple times 

with teams from area municipalities, chambers of commerce, and other community stakeholders 

to discuss high‐level needs, opportunities  to collaborate on joint long‐term interests, and  the 

County’s COVID Recovery Plan.  Elected officials from county and municipal governments have 

also met to discuss collaboration opportunities.   

Locally  known  as  OneGuilford,  this  inter‐organization  initiative  aims  to  build  a  new  level  of

collaboration across entities to share resources (ARPA/SLFRF and others) to effectively address 

joint  interests  for  long‐term  and  equitable  recovery,  particularly  for  issues  that  cross 

jurisdictional boundaries and/or where innovative partnerships can enhance an entity’s capacity 

for amplified impact.      

Results from a series of conversations and meetings with elected officials and their staff over 

the last several months generated the following municipal investment priorities. 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 9

Municipal priorities will be incorporated into other information gathered from our engagement 

with other stakeholders.  The County’s high‐level plan for gathering additional community 

feedback is outlined in the following table. 

5) Labor Practices  

As of July 31, 2021, no infrastructure projects are being pursued.  The County may pursue 

infrastructure projects based on the findings of its community engagement efforts and analysis 

of needs in QCT’s and other areas of the county. 

6) Use of Evidence  

Guilford County will prioritize the allocation of SLFRF funds for evidence‐based interventions 

and projects that include rigorous program evaluations as parts of their scopes.  More 

information will be provided in future reports for projects funded through SLFRF dollars. 

7) Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category 

Guilford County, North Carolina, received $52,169,876 in State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds 

(SLFRF) on June 1, 2021.  The Guilford County Board of Commissioners formally appropriated 

these funds into a special revenue fund on July 15, 2021.  As of July 31, 2021, the County has 

not obligated or spent any of its SLFRF allocation.   
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 10

A summary of the approved planned expenses as of July 31, 2021 is included after the following 

table which includes only actual expenses as of July 31, 2021. 

NOTE:  While the County did not spend any SLFRF dollars as of July 31, 2021, the County has 

received and spent approximately $100,000,000 of other federal and local revenues since Spring 

2020 to provide responses to the pandemic.  Expenses include local economic support, support 

for area non‐profits, vaccination programs, food distribution events, childcare and extended 

learning programs, and a host of other response and recovery initiatives.  You can see how the 

County has allocated and spent other sources of funds online here:  COVID‐19 Pandemic 

Response Dashboards . 

Actual Expenditures from June 1, 2021 through July 31, 2021 

Note: Funds were accepted formally by Board of Commissioners on July 15, 2021 

Category 

Cumulative 

expenditures to 

date ($) 

Amount spent 

since last 

Recovery Plan 

1 Expenditure Category: Public Health $0 $0 

2 Expenditure Category: Negative Economic 

Impacts 

$0 $0 

3 Expenditure Category: Services to 

Disproportionately Impacted Communities

$0 $0 

4 Expenditure Category: Premium Pay $0 $0 

5 Expenditure Category: Infrastructure $0 $0 

6 Expenditure Category: Revenue Replacement $0 $0 

7 Administrative and Other $0 $0 

Total $0 $0 
Guilford County, North Carolina 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 11

Approved PLANNED Expenditures as of July 31, 2021 

Category PLANNED 

Expenditures 

1 Expenditure Category: Public Health 

1.11 Substance Use Services 

Reduce harm caused by opioid misuse by expanding capacity and 

services of the Guilford County Solution to the Opioid Problem.  

See GCSTOP.

$250,000

3 Expenditure Category: Services to Disproportionately Impacted 

Communities 

3.13 Social Determinants of Health: Other 

Infant Mortality Reduction program to reduce significant racial 

disparities in infant deaths.  See Every Baby Guilford.

$468,000

6 Expenditure Category: Revenue Replacement 

6.1 Provision of Government Services See Note

7 Administrative and Other 

7.1 Administrative Expenses $250,000

7.2 Evaluation and data analysis $250,000

Total PLANNED $1,218,000

Note:  Preliminary calculations indicate the amount of revenue replacement for 2020 available 

to Guilford County is approximately $24 million.  Clarification of eligible revenues to include in 

the calculation is ongoing.  No allocation of these funds have been made to governmental 

services as of July 31, 2021. Once a final number is calculated (likely to be in mid‐September 

2021), the Board of County Commissioners will determine if and how to allocate funds to 

governmental services in accordance with SLFRF restrictions and legislation.