Mayor, DWSD announce Detroit’s first income-based water affordability plan

• New fixed-rate plan reflects advocates’ recommendation that water should be no more than 1.8 percent of the average household income

• SNAP and Food Assistance Program enrolled households will have $18 monthly water bills beginning August 1

• Qualifying Detroit households who enroll will also have their water bill balance erased

Mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) Director Gary Brown, community leaders and water advocates announced this week the DWSD Lifeline Plan, Detroit’s first-ever income-based water affordability plan.

The Detroit Lifeline Plan, developed in partnership with local community advocates and water affordability experts, offers qualifying customers a fixed monthly rate as low as $18 per month and erases past debt on Detroiter’s water bills. It also will help achieve advocates’ long-standing goal of a system that charges low-income residents no more than 1.8 percent of their average monthly income for water service.

City officials say the long-hoped-for plan will help thousands of Detroit residents facing water insecurity and is now possible due to regional, state and federal funding.

The plan approved by the Board of Water Commissioners includes a new inclining block rate structure for water usage that provides a lower water rate to all DWSD customers up to 4,500 gallons per month. Income-qualifying households will pay as little as $18 per month total for water, sewerage and drainage costs and no more than $56 per month. Currently, an average Detroit household with three people uses between 2,300 and 3,000 gallons of water per month and pays $81.62 per month for their water, sewerage and drainage.

For more information, read the full story at DWSD water affordability plan (detroitmi.gov)

City Offices to close for July 4 Holiday

Most City of Detroit offices will be closed on Monday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday.  Normal Police, Fire and Water and Sewerage services will be provided.

The Department of Public Works will NOT collect refuse, bulk, yard waste and recycling on Monday, July 4.  Monday’s collection will be picked up on Tuesday, and Tuesday’s collection will take place on Wednesday and so forth.

The Department of Transportation (DDOT) will operate bus service on a Sunday schedule on Monday, July 4.

The People Mover will operate on its current schedule of 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. The Detroit Transportation Corporation administrative offices will be closed on July 4.

Detroit Municipal Parking garages — Ford Underground and Eastern Market — will be closed on Monday, July 4.

Although offices may be closed, many City services, such as tax and fee payments and permit applications, are available online at detroitmi.gov. In terms of some payments to the City of Detroit, individuals also may utilize the DivDat kiosk or mobile app. Residents also may report issues via the Improve Detroit app.

City secures $12.1M to ensure 486 affordable housing units jeopardized by rising construction costs will be completed

• Hundreds of badly needed affordable units already in various stages of development or construction were at risk of stopping or scaling down due to escalating construction costs.

• Supplemental Low Income Housing Tax Credit awards from MSHDA ensure these affordable units will be finished and made available to lower-income Detroiters.

More than half of Brush Watson’s 308 apartments will be rented at deeply affordable rates of 30 to 60 percent area median income, the equivalent of one-bedrooms as low as $503 a month.
(Image: Oombra Architects)

Almost 500 units of badly needed new affordable housing in Detroit that were at risk of not being completed due to rising construction costs will now get built, thanks to $12.1 million in additional support the City of Detroit helped secure from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), Mayor Mike Duggan and state officials announced this week.

Six major housing developments in the city were at risk of either being put on hold or scaling back the number of affordable units from what they had originally planned.

To cover those surging construction costs, the City and the developers requested additional Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) from MSDHA, which had previously supported these developments with earlier LIHTC awards. The announcement comes at a time when the need for affordable housing units is increasing in Detroit.

For more information, read the full story at Affordable housing units (detroitmi.gov)

COVID-19 Vaccines Now Available for Children Six Months and Older

• City of Detroit now offering appointments for younger children
• Pediatric doses available at 100 Mack Avenue and Northwest Activities Center
• Latest move follows approval of third booster dose in May for children ages 5-11 who completed their primary series at least five months ago

The City of Detroit is providing both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for children six months to five years of age, following emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and approval by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Pediatric vaccinations and children booster shots are available by appointment only at both pediatric vaccination locations operated by the Detroit Health Department. The City is providing booster doses for children ages 5-11 who are eligible five months after completing their initial series.

• Detroit Health Department, 100 Mack Avenue
  Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers
  Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Older children ages 12 and older can obtain vaccinations and boosters on a walk-in basis at all Health Department vaccination sites, including Saturday pediatric pop-up health clinics scheduled in neighborhoods across Detroit during July and August. Free lead screenings are also available. A full list of vaccination sites can be found on the Health Department’s website or call (313) 230-0505. Bring vaccination card to appointment.

Free COVID-19 tests and Test to Treat medication is available to everyone who lives or works in Detroit at the Joseph Walker Williams Community Center, 8431 Rosa Parks Blvd., Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. By appointment only: (313) 230-0505.

Read the full story at Vaccines Available for Children Six Months and Older (detroitmi.gov)

Detroit Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship Issues Open Call for Artist To Paint Mural at Farwell Rec Center

• Mural is to honor community heroes as well as healing from the COVID-19 pandemic
• Artist stipend is $30,000
• Deadline to apply is July 6, 2022

The Detroit Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE) is seeking an artist or collaborative team for a creative place-keeping project at Farwell Recreation Center.

The theme for the mural installation will be the result of engagement with residents in the community. A selection committee comprising community members and members of the Detroit ACE team anticipates choosing an artist or team by July 31.

The project is among many Detroit ACE is undertaking to better connect artists with Detroit communities and to improve the look of neighborhoods across the city. It also is a part of Mayor Mike Duggan’s Blight to Beauty initiative.

All questions should be directed to Rochelle Riley at Rochelle.riley@detroitmi.gov or (313) 480-5265.

Read the full story at Community Mural Farwell Rec Center (detroitmi.gov)

This year, the Detroit Bike Challenge will kick off July 1 and end August 31, 2022.  Detroit residents and employees can participate by:

• Joining the Detroit Bike Challenge Strava Club at https://bit.ly/detbikechallenge
• Participating in community bike rides led by the City and partners
• Taking part in social media challenges hosted on Strava, Facebook, and Instagram.

Organizers will be giving away prizes including gift cards, bikes, and JBL speakers.

Detroit ACE partners with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, community groups on three neighborhood musical experiences and children’s workshop series

Free events are part of the DSO’s efforts to strength its commitment to Detroit residents

The Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship (Detroit ACE) is partnering with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and several community organizations on three neighborhood musical experiences.

DSO musicians will perform at the Clark Park Culture & Arts Festival on July 9 and the Community Arts and Music Festival in Chandler Park on July 16. Musicians also will perform at the Northwest Goldberg Cares Spotlight Park Music in the Park on July 30.

The concerts are a part of DSO’s commitment to strengthen its commitment to the growth and well-being of the city of Detroit through the Detroit Neighborhood Initiative, part of a larger Detroit Strategy to invest in and build relationships with Detroit residents.

Clark Park Culture and Arts Festival
1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9
Clark Park Stage, 1130 Clark St.
Line-up features the DSO with Mariachi Femenil Detroit and Ballet Folklorico Moyocoyani Izel.
There also will be interactive arts workshops and student performances. Sponsored by the General Motors Corporation.

Freedom! The Second Annual Community Arts and Music Festival in Chandler Park
1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 16
Chandler Park, 12831 Frankfort St. (near the old tennis courts)
Hands-on arts and music-making and food and performances from DSO musicians and local artists. Sponsored by the General Motors Corporation.

Music In the Park at Northwest Goldberg Cares Spotlight Park
Complete free registration for children’s workshops at nwgoldbergcares.com/mitp for a weekly workshop, lunch, and concert series 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Friday in July.

Final Music In the Park Celebration
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 30
Northwest Goldberg Cares Spotlight Park, 5945 Linwood St.
Sponsored by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation

For more information, read the full story at Detroit Symphony Orchestra (detroitmi.gov)

Detroiters can apply for Neighborhood Beautification Fund grants to further improve their corner of the city

Grants can be used for neighborhood clean-ups, community gardens, public space activities

Detroiters can apply for Neighborhood Beautification Program (NBP) grants ranging from $500 to $15,000 to help improve their communities.

The NBP grants provide funding for Detroit-based neighborhood associations, block clubs, faith-based organizations and nonprofits that currently own the property where they want to carry out a project in the community. The Neighborhood Beautification Program was created to support three types of projects:

• Clean-up activities
• Community gardens
• Public spaces/activities

Organizations can apply at waynemetro.org/neighborhood-beautification-grant.

The City’s Department of Neighborhoods has been sharing information about the program during its regular DON Cast meetings to prepare block clubs and neighborhood associations on how to apply for the grants.

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