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Many state and local governments have used money from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) to expand the number of beds in shelters and support services, and create new programs to address the growing problem of homelessness. Read on to see how two states, two counties, and two cities are using these funds to address the challenges people experiencing homelessness face.

State and local governments are using money from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) to experiment with new pilot programs that tackle issues arising from the pandemic. Here are examples of pilot programs from Connecticut and Iowa, Milwaukee and Orange counties, and San José and Washington, D.C. as described in the recipients’ SLFRF Recovery Plans submitted to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Inglewood, California, hosts the big game on Sunday. Businesses, schools, and other recipients in the city got at least $450 million in pandemic relief. Here’s a quick read on where some of it went.

Expansion of unemployment programs and the easing of some eligibility requirements under the CARES Act have led to increased fraud – especially identity theft. Some people who would not have normally been eligible to receive regular unemployment benefits became eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). In addition, U.S. Department of Labor rules allowed people to receive benefits prior to their filing claims.

A South Bay man who provided lifestyle and personal development coaching to students in public schools through a non-profit he founded was arrested today on an indictment alleging he and his accomplices fraudulently applied for millions of dollars in COVID-19 jobless benefits, including by using stolen identities.

SAN DIEGO – Multiple nonprofit organizations—including two private country clubs and two homeowners associations—have paid $5,809,021.60 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false claims and obtaining Paycheck Protection Program loans for which they were not eligible.

As a result of Operation Fraud Street Mafia, a Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) inmate has been charged in two separate federal complaints with drug trafficking and COVID-19 fraud. Seven defendants in California and Maryland are also charged in the two schemes.

SAN DIEGO – Thomas Zolezzi of San Diego pleaded guilty in federal court today, admitting that he committed fraud to obtain almost $3 million intended to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In his plea agreement, Zolezzi admitted he submitted five loan applications containing false statements to trick lenders into providing the relief funds. He used the borrowed funds to pay his personal expenses. As part of his guilty plea, Zolezzi agreed to pay restitution of $700,884.75 to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) and $2,238,910.24 to Capital Plus Financial.

A Glendale man was sentenced today to 78 months in federal prison for laundering at least $3 million in fraudulently obtained unemployment insurance (UI) benefits that his accomplices fraudulently obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic.