Important Notice:

ARPA FUNDS ASSISTANCE FOR LOCAL HUMAN SERVICES NONPROFITS FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS 

On April 18, 2022, the Portsmouth City Council approved the expenditure of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to create a Community Health Improvement Plan (“Plan”) in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic. As a result, it became clear that although all sectors of Portsmouth were impacted, several populations were impacted more severely, even to the point of losing the daily supports they needed to live safely.  This awareness led the City Council to approve the expenditure of additional ARPA funds for the creation of a blueprint that identifies the priorities and response strategies specific to the health and wellness needs of the city's most vulnerable populations. 

On August 21, 2023, the City Council voted to expend $250,000 of the ARPA funds for implementation of recommendations included in the Community Health Needs Assessment, a component of the Plan. The City Council held a public hearing during their meeting November 18, 2024 and voted to add an additional $100,000 for this effort. Through the development of the Needs Assessment and Plan, it became clear that local human service nonprofits were and still are filling tremendous gaps in needs and services to numerous vulnerable populations throughout the City. Many local human services nonprofits suffered significant revenue losses due to negative impacts of COVID-19, while simultaneously having to expand the scope of their services to cover gaps that had not existed prior to the pandemic. 

ARPA funds provide substantial flexibility for each municipality to meet its local needs, including direct support for 501(c)3 nonprofits who have suffered from the negative economic impacts of COVID-19.  Therefore, the way to distribute these funds in a meaningful manner to get into the hands of the nonprofits filling the gaps in services for the vulnerable populations identified in the Community Health Needs Assessment, is to provide these nonprofits with funds directly as beneficiaries. They suffered economic harm due to COVID-19 and were unable to fully meet the needs of the vulnerable populations they serve. They know their clients and needs best, and they are already doing the work to fill these gaps and provide significantly changed services since the pandemic.

Award amounts are dependent on the number of applications received from human services nonprofits that have suffered COVID-19 financial losses and serve the City’s vulnerable populations in priority community health improvement areas. Vulnerable populations are defined as: veterans; people with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities; elderly/homebound seniors; children/youth; LGBTQ+ community; BIPOC minorities; and people with mental health needs.  Community health improvement areas include: substance misuse; transportation; domestic violence; homelessness; food insecurity; mental health /social isolation; and quality of life/healthy environments. 

If you are purchasing an existing food business including or are looking to build one - please READ THIS PAGE FIRST.

If you are planning or hosting a temporary event that includes food and/or beverages - Please visit the TEMPORARY EVENTS page.

If you are looking for information on mobile food vending, please visit the MOBILE FOOD VENDING page.

The Health Department also offers occasional Health Bulletin Boards with information about current and seasonal health concerns and NHDHHS advisories.