America's nearly 40,000 county elected officials and 3.6 million county employees are on the frontlines of the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic. As the country emerges from the pandemic and grapples with the toll it has taken on our citizens, counties are responding and rebuilding. At the same time, many counties are still confronting significant workforce shortage pressures at a time with growing, critical resident needs.

With American Rescue Plan funds, counties are strengthening America's workforce, addressing the nation's behavioral health crisis, expanding broadband access, improving housing affordability and building prosperous communities for the next generation.

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Jason Berry (center), director of planning and community engagement in Monroe County, Mich., advises how to evaluate the impact of opioid settlement investments with Marcus Boyd (right), opioid settlement program manager, Mecklenburg County, N.C., in a discussion moderated by Amy Dolinky, director of opioid services, Michigan Association of Counties. Photo by Mary Ann Barton
County News

Counties turn to universities, hard data to gauge opioid settlement impact

Evaluating the efficacy programming is often the hardest and most neglected piece of allocating opioid settlement funds.

Residents peruse information at a recent community engagement event for the Centreville Co-Location Project at the Centreville Regional Library in Fairfax County, Va. Photo courtesy of Fairfax County
County News

Counties get creative with land use to add affordable housing

Orange County, Fla. is working to develop affordable housing on land owned by religious institutions and Fairfax County, Va. is exploring co-locating its libraries with affordable housing.