Nome residents have until the end of the business day on December 7th to apply for a personal stimulus check from the City of Nome. Nome has allotted approximately half a million dollars from their federal CARES Act funding to give individuals who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.
Approved applicants will receive $500 per adult and $100 per child. Those funds will come in the form of a check for residents to spend how they need, explained City Manager Glenn Steckman.
“Whether it’s paying an electric bill, food bill, or it’s paying a gas bill, or fuel bill for your home– it’s trying to put the money back into the economy of Nome which has been restricted from outside monies being able to come into community during the nationwide COVID-19 crisis.”
– Manager Glenn Steckman
Most industries across the state have reported losses during the pandemic, most especially in tourism.
The stimulus is meant to be for individuals who were living in Nome before March, when the pandemic began. But Steckman says, they are weighing applications based on their individual situations. Nome recognizes the pandemic has affected every household differently and the stimulus isn’t necessarily limited to those who have lost their jobs or had their work reduced.
“People have indicated that their cost for educating their child is up significantly, because they’re having to purchase more data from, let’s say GCI or another provider, you know, that would be considered an economic impact to make sure your child could stay in school, or stay as part of the online learning at that time. That’s a personal decision that each individual when they sign that document, and submit it has to make.”
-Manager Glenn Steckman
Previous rounds of funds have gone to small business owners or towards helping individuals pay for their utility bills.
This is the first stimulus that allows residents to pay directly for their own unique needs while Steckman expressed hope that money will circulate back into the local economy.
“This is not the PFD. This is for folks that were financially impacted and have been living and struggling here since the COVID-19 impact really started to hit the community.”
The application is open to any residents serviced by the Nome Joint Utility System power grid. Each adult will have to submit their own application along with an attached W-9. They will also need to provide the social security number for each child. Those forms can be found on the City of Nome website or in person at City Hall right.
Applications are due by 5pm on Monday, December 7th.
Image at top: 401(K) 2012 for 401kcalculator.org via Flickr Creative Commons.
