New London ― It takes little prompting to get Jeanne Milstein, the city’s director of human services, talking about the benefits reaped in New London from federal pandemic relief and other funding.

“As the number four most distressed municipality in the state, the disparities we’ve always had here just exploded during COVID,” she said on Friday. “And funding from programs like (the American Rescue Plan Act) allowed for us to work toward a more equitable recovery.”

Milstein took that message to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday as one of about 50 Connecticut and Rhode Island guests attending a White House event aimed at highlighting the impact of programs created by the Biden administration.

Milstein said the “Communities in Action” meeting gave her the opportunity to share how those programs have affected New London, as well as learn how nearby municipalities have deployed ARPA, infrastruture, climate and gun safety funding.

“I was one of the first people to have my hand up and one easy thing to applaud was the Gold Star Memorial Bridge work,” said Milstein, referencing a $158 million grant received through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that will allow repairs to the northbound span of the bridge.

Milstein said the forum also touched on how available federal funding can be leveraged to expand broadband internet access in New London, an issue under discussion in the city.

“But there’s also programming and funding out there I wasn’t aware of for things related to youth mental health and gun violence prevention. You can bet those are some of the first things I’ll be looking for follow-ups on.”

Milstein said she saved her biggest reservoir of praise for the ARPA program and its spending flexibility.

“You can see that first hand in New London, how we were able conduct social service outreach and reach the people that needed it most,” she said.

New London in 2020 and 2021 received a total of $26.2 million in ARPA funding in two equal portions, millions of which were earmarked for social service uses, including senior and health outreach along with food distribution.

But with the ARPA spigot quickly evaporating, finding ways to continue those programs is becoming a crucial issue, Milstein said.

“I was told (at the forum) there’s a hope more federal money will be coming down,” she said. “But there was no firm commitment or promise. All of us there had that concern.”

Milstein said the gathering, attended by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., served as a networking opportunity. The CT Mirror reported other several White House advisers, a Cabinet secretary and federal lawmakers attended the forum.

“We all got a chance to talk with each other and see how other towns used their federal funding, to see what worked and what didn’t,” she said. “It was very exciting for me. I’d been to the White House once many years ago on a tour, but this was the first time I was there in an official capacity. It was an honor.”

j.penney@theday.com