The COVID-19 pandemic has had a great impact on people’s lives, the level of impact has been uneven. The City of Lynn recognizes the unequal impact of the pandemic and intends to use the funds to build a more equitable, healthy, and sustainable community. We must work together to identify areas of our community that have fallen behind their neighbors in terms of quality of life and health outcomes.

The ARPA recovery funds provide a historic opportunity to improve the quality of our lives through affordable housing, food security, entrepreneurship and small business assistance, workforce development including childcare and digital access, mental and behavioral health, environmental investments, and infrastructure improvements. Together we are charged with identifying areas where one-time investments can have long-term benefits to our residents and community. Through close collaboration, we will enact solutions that allow for economic growth and development while making the right choices for our community and offering a level playing field across the board for all. The City of Lynn must plan to recover fully and fairly and pursue growth that includes all of us. Accomplishing this momentous task of recovery will require collaboration, planning, and foresight.