YOUNGSTOWN - Youngstown City Council voted in favor of allocating $2.5 million of American Rescue Plan funds to the Youngstown City Health District. 

The city is now taking a new approach to target desperate needs in the community, and they're set to use the ARP funds to do it.

"I was sitting there last night like, 'Oh my God' we could really make a difference," Youngstown Health Commissioner Erin Bishop said. 

Bishop said the money will go towards hiring six new workers. Four of those will be community health workers placed in offices on all four sides of town.

"They've got to be trusted in the neighborhood," she said, "If you're a north sider, you're going to be hired for the north side."

She said these workers will assist in a wide range of needs, from providing help with personal or mental health to getting people diapers or hygiene products, or even helping residents sign up for health insurance.

"It's just another person that can hook them up with the health department," she said,  "and make sure that they're getting heard. Things that need to be addressed are getting addressed just be that champion for that person."

The health department will also hire someone to oversee the program and an epidemiologist to analyze the city's health data and track progress.

Bishop hopes to start this program in about six months and said the city will be canvassing the neighborhoods to get the word out.

She said she is confident the city will secure future funding to keep this program going after the ARP funds run out and added the state approves of her plan and believes the city will have data to back up the progress that's made.