COLUMBUS, Ohio - Nearly $225 for every man, woman, and child in the state came to Ohio residents last year as a result of four direct assistance programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009 (ARRA), according to a study released Thursday by The Center for Community Solutions (CCS).
In total, the impact from four ARRA provisions - a boost in monthly food stamp benefits, one-time $250 Economic Recovery payment for Social Security and SSI recipients, $25 per week increase in
unemployment benefits, and the Making Work Pay tax credit - put more than $59 billion in Americans’ pockets with over $2.5 billion coming to Ohioans.
Ohioans will continue to benefit as another $5.7 billion out of the $8.2 billion in ARRA funds allocated to it by Washington over a three-year period arrives.
ARRA benefits were spread among all 88 Ohio counties, with larger populations seeing greater amounts of total payments. The residents of six large counties -- Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Lucas, Montgomery, and Summit -- received more than $100 million in total payments from ARRA funds.
But per capita estimates show that the residents of some smaller rural Ohio counties have gained comparatively more from ARRA funds than residents of the largest counties. Six smaller counties - Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fayette, Highland and Paulding - saw payments of more than $245 per capita..
“These programs represent direct payments to individuals and families and were one of the Recovery Act’s main tools for rescuing the national economy from collapse,” said Emily Campbell, policy and
planning associate with CCS and author of the report. “Nearly every Ohioan -- including working adults,
unemployed workers, retirees, and struggling families -- received at least one of these benefits as a result of the Recovery Act.”
Using data from state and federal sources, county-by-county benefit amounts were estimated by Campbell, who noted that direct payments from each of the four programs and overall and per capita totals for Ohio as a whole and each of the 88 counties are included in the study’s appendix. “The final figures should be considered estimates, and there is a level of uncertainty inherent in any such calculations,” Campbell said in prepared remarks.
“Assistance came straight to Ohioans at a time when the economy was particularly fragile,” Campbell explained. “These programs meant more money in Ohioans’ pockets that they could spend at local
businesses, pay down debt, or invest," she said. Because this spending is not included in quarterly Recovery Act jobs figures, it is often overlooked.
"These programs did more than impact our economy; they provided real benefit to families across Ohio,” Campbell said.
The study by CCS, “Recovery Act Put $2.5 Billion in Ohioans' Pockets: A County-by-County Review of Direct Benefits in 2009,” provided a look at county-level estimates of the impact of ARRA funds in Ohio.
The Center for Community Solutions is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on policy and system reform. It provides strategic leadership to improve targeted health, social, and economic conditions. Established in 1913, it is a United Way agency.
The report is available at www.CommunitySolutions.com.
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