The city has roughly $400,000 from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act set aside for the grants, Gary Community Development Director Arlene Colvin told the Post-Tribune. The start-up funds will be the latest in a series of ARPA grants awarded by the city, which have already benefited existing businesses and nonprofits. In September, mayor Jerome Prince announced that 91 Gary-based small businesses had been selected to receive between $5,000 and $60,000.
Her business, Transparent Progression, aims to help victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence heal through the practice of social-emotional learning. “We are working to help individuals heal from within” she said. “I am actually tired of seeing people use a bandage.” Emmani Ellis, an IU student studying mechatronics and robotics who is set to graduate in December, enrolled in the course with the hope of receiving funding for a real estate company that she founded last year.