As the coronavirus pandemic continues across North Carolina, the local governments of Orange County are seeking community input on how to best prepare for recovery in the coming years.

Friday, January 29 will be the last day public comment is accepted for the draft Long-Term Recovery and Transformation Plan.

The draft document outlines the steps that will be taken to help the citizens of Orange County grapple with the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and will be edited after Friday to reflect the feedback received from the community. The draft emphasizes the needs of the community members more severely affected by the pandemic and is currently broken into seven Recovery Support Functions, each complete with their own set of specific initiatives and strategies.

The Economic Recovery Support Function consists of a series of strategies aimed at promoting safe economic development and establishing programs to help support small businesses and local workers. Some of these strategies include providing personal protective equipment for businesses and working to connect people with job opportunities.

As for the Health Recovery Support Function, the draft document emphasizes the need to continue to reduce the barriers for monitoring, testing, and eradicating COVID-19. In addition, the draft also lays out several ways to promote improved access to mental health services and address systematic health disparities.

The Human Services Recovery Support Function focuses on increasing the availability of job opportunities that provide living wages and an improved quality of life. This section of the draft document also describes how to streamline public access to food services and other government resources.

The other four Recovery Support Functions deal with housing, natural and cultural resources, community planning and capacity building, and public information and intergovernmental affairs.

You can read the full draft Long-Term Recovery and Transformation Plan here. More information can also be found at the OrangeNCForward website.

 

Photo via Town of Chapel Hill

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