Detroit announces 2022 Speed Hump program: Up to 3,000 planned for safer neighborhoods; residents can apply now

• Residents have until end of February to apply

• 2021 program was record setting with 5,550 speed humps, 1,000 more than planned and 7,000 to date

The City of Detroit Department of Public Works (DPW) plans to install as many as 3,000 speed humps in 2022 along city residential streets that qualify. Detroiters who want speed humps on their streets have until the end of February to apply and be considered for this year’s program.

Earlier last year, Mayor Mike Duggan announced that the City would install 4,500 speed humps on residential streets to address speeding and safety concerns. DPW exceeded that number by more than 1,000, ending the year with a record-setting 5,550 speed humps installed. To date, over 7,000 speed humps have been installed.

Detroiters who want speed humps on their streets have until Friday, March 4, 2022 to apply and be evaluated for this year’s program.

Residents can apply for speed humps on their streets by visiting the City of Detroit webpage at detroitmi.gov.

City of Detroit to host Skills for Life Recruitment Events to hire for more than 200 positions

The City of Detroit is hosting a series of Skills for Life events to hire for several positions within the General Services Department. Skills For Life, a work training program designed to pay Detroiters to learn new job skills and remove educational barriers to employment, was announced last fall.

Skills For Life allows residents to work three days and take classes toward their chosen educational path for two days while being paid starting at $15 an hour. Skills for Life comes as a result of an extensive round of community engagement meetings to identify American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending priorities, and City Council approval.

Participants are going to be offered training in skilled and other trades along with IT and other highly in-demand careers.

How to apply
Applying for Skills for Life is a simple three-step process for Detroit residents:

• Visit the Detroit at Work website at detroitatwork.com and click the Skills for Life banner.
• Click on Sign Up Now and follow the instructions
• Once the application is completed, individuals will be contacted within 72 hours to begin the enrollment process.

Attend a Hiring Event
There are virtual hiring events scheduled for Feb. 17 & 24 and March 2. To join a virtual hiring event, go to https://cityofdetroit.zoom.us/j/4598231165.

Meeting ID: 459 823 1165
Passcode: 48226

There are in-person hiring events scheduled for Feb. 15 & 23 and March 1.

Mayor Mike Duggan joined state and city leaders, developers and the Islandview/Greater Villages community to celebrate the grand opening of the Parker Durand, a new mixed-use building that brings 92 units – half of which are quality affordable housing – as part of the Strategic Neighborhood Fund initiative.

Developed by Invest Detroit and The Roxbury Group, the $22.5-million development at 8001 Kercheval offers 18 units at 50 percent area median income (AMI), 28 units at 80 percent AMI, and the remaining units are not to exceed 120 percent AMI. This means, that a one-bedroom apartment will cost as little as $750 a month. Residents will have amenities such as an in-unit washer/dryer, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, a rooftop deck and more.

The 79,500-square-foot development replaced a giant vacant lot at the intersection of Van Dyke and Kercheval, in the heart of the neighborhood. In addition to the affordable housing it creates, this makes Parker Durand a key step forward in beautifying Islandview/Greater Villages and enhancing the neighborhood fabric and walkability.

Read the full story at detroitmi.gov.

Mayor, Councilmember Johnson announce plan for $15 per hour City employee minimum wage

Councilwoman Latisha Johnson (District 4) joined Mayor Duggan in announcing all Detroit government employees paid from the City’s general fund will earn no less than $15 per hour starting July 1.

All Detroit government employees paid for out of the City’s general fund would earn no less than $15 per hour starting July 1, 2022 under a proposed Employee Minimum Wage announced this week by Mayor Mike Duggan and Councilwoman Latisha Johnson (District 4).

The City has been tracking and steadily increasing wages for employees earning below $15 per hour since 2019 and the time is right to complete the task, said Mayor Duggan.

The move would ensure that the starting pay for all City employees would be a minimum of $15 per hour and raise the pay for about 270 current employees in those classifications who have not yet reached that mark. The proposal requires the consent of the unions in amending collective bargaining agreements and the approval of City Council.

The new standard of a $15 per hour minimum wage will require a change to the City’s Master Pay Schedule which sets the pay range for all general fund City positions.  Council member Johnson, who campaigned on the issue of a $15 minimum wage, has sponsored a resolution that would make those amendments.

Read the full story at detroitmi.gov.

Mayor kicks off eighth year of Grow Detroit’s Young Talent program to provide summer jobs for 8,000 youth ages 14-24

The City of Detroit’s summer work experience program for Detroit youth officially kicked off this week as Mayor Mike Duggan was joined by employers, philanthropic organizations, and youth to officially launch the application period for Grow Detroit’s Young Talent 2022 (GDYT). The application portal is open at GDYT.org and will remain open until May 20, 2022.

A total of 8,048 Detroit youth were employed through GDYT during the 2021 program, the seventh straight year of exceeding the program’s target of 8,000. To maintain social distancing protocols, GDYT made more than 6,000 of the 2021 summer opportunities virtual and the program will provide similar accommodations in 2022.

While the target for total GDYT enrollments for 2022 will remain at 8,000, the program will introduce new enhancements for the 2022 program year, including:

• Career Pathways Plus is a new GDYT component that recruits, screens, and matches youth with businesses that offer specialized programs designed to prepare youth for occupations within their industry. The goal of this initiative is to place youth on a career pathway with participating companies that leads to permanent employment, high-growth career options and economic self-sufficiency.
• Partnership with the Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) to allow GDYT youth access to professional, one-on-one financial counseling as a free public service to address any financial challenges, needs, and plan for their futures.

For more information, including how to get involved, visit detroitmi.gov.