West Lakes Partnership, a nonprofit that provides housing and education to residents in five Orlando neighborhoods, received a 85,000 dollar grant from the city today.

The CARES Act Community Development Block Grant will be used to fund two new positions including a director for the Partnership and outreach coordinator.

These new staff members will work to prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus in the community.

Commissioner Regina Hill said the money will also be used to provide PPE and set up a food bank for about 500 low to moderate-income families.

“With that initiative, they will be purchasing hot meals from many of our struggling small diners and restaurants here in the City of Orlando. So Mayor Dyer through your leadership this will also create somewhat of a stimulus to these restaurants that are having a hard time.”

Hill said more than half of the grant will go toward these efforts that are aimed at reducing the economic impact of the pandemic on residents and small business owners.

“And I thought that that was very important that almost 60,000, 70,000 dollars of these funds would go back to the community in small businesses while we feed the community.”

The City has received more than 1.3 million dollars in similar block grant funds through the first round of the CARES Act.