Make no mistake: we have a long journey toward recovery ahead. And we must continue to come together to combat this virus while lifting our neighbors in need. That’s why tonight, we are submitting a new request to appropriate more than $16m in new Coronavirus relief funding.

This will include an additional $7.5m in rental assistance for those whose livelihoods have been impacted by the pandemic.

It also includes more than $300k in supplemental completion grants through our @IndyAchieves program for students at Ivy Tech and IUPUI whose ability to afford college has been threatened by the pandemic.

This request also funds $1.1m in additional adult education funding.

I want to thank our nonprofit and higher education partners for their work on these programs, including @EmployIndy, @TheExcelCenter, @indyreads, @MarianUniv, @MartinU1977, and @ymcaindy, as well as Washington, Warren, and Wayne Township Schools.

Those are just three examples from this appropriation, and there’s more to come. Our efforts will continue so long as this health crisis is hurting families, students, and businesses. And I want to urge Congress to act quickly to equip cities and states to expand these programs.