Sign up for emergency notices with Detroit Alerts 365

Would you like to receive timely emergency notifications like storm warnings or public safety advisories? Then sign up for Detroit Alerts 365, which sends Detroit-specific emergency notifications through the CodeRED emergency notification system. This free system enables individuals to choose how they would like to receive alerts — via telephone, text message, and/or email.

Those who sign up can receive:

• Severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service
• Public safety advisories
• Flooding/natural disasters
• Evacuation/shelter in place notices
• Boil water advisories

There are several benefits to enrolling in Detroit Alerts 365. During a crisis, real-time updates can provide life-saving instructions and information.

• Notifications are on the go with individuals, who receive important alerts and non-emergency notifications, based on their address directly to your cell phone, home phone, text, or email.
• Individuals will receive notifications targeted to residents in a specific area experiencing emergency conditions.
• Personal data is secure in the CodeRED system.

Detroit Alerts 365 can be sent citywide to all registered users, or notices can be targeted to specific areas that have been impacted by an emergency. In addition to registering for Detroit Alerts 365, download the CodeRED Mobile Alert App to receive emergency alerts based on your current location.

To register go to detroitalerts365.org or text DetroitAlerts365 to 99411.

City opens recreation centers Sept. 2-3 to help residents cope with temperatures, provide relief to those without power

The City of Detroit will open recreation centers this weekend to give residents relief from the extreme heat and ongoing power outage. Centers were scheduled to be closed on these days for annual cleaning, but City officials decided to keep them open to the community given the expected high temperatures.

Seven centers will open to provide air-conditioned comfort and protection from the heat and provide relief to residents who are still without power. Those without power will have access to charging stations set up in the recreation centers.

The seven recreation centers, open September 2-3 from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., are:

• Adams Butzel Recreation Center, 10500 Lyndon
• Butzel Family Center, 7737 Kercheval
• Kemeny Recreation Center, 2260 S. Fort St.
• Patton Recreation Center, 2301 Woodmere St.
• Crowell Recreation Center, 16630 Lahser Rd.
• Clemente Recreation Center, 2631 Bagley
• Heilmann Recreation Center, 19601 Crusade

A complete list can be found here.

Tips to Stay Healthy During Extreme Heat

During periods of extreme heat, the Detroit Health Department recommends that residents:

• Drink plenty of water, and avoid alcohol and caffeine.
• Eat well-balanced, light and regular meals. Avoid using salt tablets unless directed to do so by a physician.
• Reduce outdoor activities and stay inside in air-conditioned locations.
• Never leave children, seniors, or pets alone in closed vehicles—even for short periods of time. The temperature inside the car can become 30–40 degrees hotter than the outside temperature.
• Check on family and neighbors who are older, sick, or with special needs that may need help responding to the heat.
• Watch out for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which include: confusion; hot, dry, flushed skin; cool and clammy skin; lightheadedness; headache; dizziness; and nausea. Call 911 immediately if any of these symptoms occur.
• Choose loose fitting, lightweight clothing, and opt for light-colored fabric, as it reflects heat. Avoid wearing black clothes, especially if you’re in direct sunlight. Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen.
• If you must work outside, take frequent breaks and drink plenty of water.
• PETS: To avoid heat-related illnesses in your pet, make sure they have protection from the sun and cool drinking water. Avoid leaving them outside during excessively hot and humid days, and monitor them regularly.

For more information, please contact the Detroit Health Department at (313) 876-4000.

More than 100 Detroiters earn deeds through Detroit Land Bank Authority’s Buy Back Program this summer

City Councilmember Coleman A. Young II and Mayor Mike Duggan joined new homeowner Michelle Brown for the Detroit Land Bank’s Buy Back program.

More than 100 Detroiters are now homeowners, securing stable housing for their family through the Detroit Land Bank Authority’s Buy Back program. Participants received their deeds at the DLBA’s final exit event this summer this week at the Guardian Building. The Buy Back program offers people occupying DLBA-owned houses an opportunity to purchase the property for just $1,000 if they successfully complete a year of homebuyer counseling and save up enough money to pay their first summer tax bill.

Since 2016, a thousand people have purchased houses through the Buy Back program, and so far, more than 900 have successfully exited the program and received their deed.

The goal is to provide a pathway to homeownership, specifically for families and individuals who lost
their homes to foreclosure but never left, were victims of real estate or landlord fraud, or have another
significant connection to the house.

Who is eligible?
To qualify for the Buy Back program, individuals must currently live in a DLBA-owned house and have a connection to the property that meets at least one of the following conditions:

• They are the most recent owner of record before the property was acquired by a public entity
• They are a former renter in the property
• A family member was a former owner of the property
• They have paid for utilities at the property for at least 12 consecutive months
• They are the victims of real estate or rental fraud at the property
• They have received current and prior year state or federal documents at the property related to
  income, benefits, or services

The Buy Back program’s unique approach is to support participants throughout the process,
helping them to build the skills they need to be successful homeowners and retain ownership of the
property in the future. The DLBA partners with local non-profits to provide counseling and one-on-one
assistance for each buyer.

For more information, read the full story at Detroit Land Bank Authority’s Buy Back Program (detroitmi.gov)

Motor City Match awards first-ever $1 million round of grants

• Twenty Round 20 entrepreneurs awarded grants for an array of restaurants and coffee/tea/juice shops, apparel shops and popular farm and cider mill

• Recently-approved ARPA funding doubles grants provided by program that already has helped 138 entrepreneurs open brick-and-mortar businesses

• Round 21 applications open now at motorcitymatch.com

Mayor Mike Duggan with the Motor City Match Round 20 cash grant awardees.

Mayor Mike Duggan and Motor City Match celebrated the program’s Round 20 awards, which includes 20 grants totaling $1 million to entrepreneurs looking to bring their dream of opening a business in Detroit a reality. This marks a doubling of the grant pool and increase of funding from $500,000 in grants every quarter to $1 million.

The expanded impact was made possible by $15 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding approved recently by Detroit City Council.

Among the businesses receiving grants are an African-themed metaphysics shop, high-end and custom apparel shops, a party supply rental shop, a community laundromat and a host of new neighborhood-based coffee, tea, juice and ice cream shops among many more.

In addition to grants, the program confirmed awards to 45 additional businesses in its Business Plan, Develop, and Design Tracks. These awards offer technical assistance, business services, classes and workshops, and one-on-one consulting for Detroit businesses still developing their projects. Round 20 Awardees represent all 7 Council districts and more than 13 Detroit neighborhoods.

Through 20 rounds of the program:

• 85 percent are minority-owned businesses
• 74 percent are women-owned businesses
• 68 percent are businesses owned by Detroit residents
• 1,606 total businesses served
• Total cash grants: $10.1 million
• Total leveraged investment: $60 million
• Total business open: 138
• Total businesses under construction: 64

Since 2015, Motor City Match has made awards to more than 1,600 businesses. Those awards, both cash grants and services, have resulted in 138 new brick & mortar businesses currently operating throughout the city. Starting with Round 20, the program will leverage an infusion of federal funding from the City’s ARPA allocation to increase both the amount of grants and scope of services available. The quarterly grant pool will increase to $1 million for new businesses and offer a $250,000 in grants to existing business that have been operating in the city for at least one year.

For more information, read the full story at Motor City Match awards (detroitmi.gov)

Mayor welcomes returning citizens to job and resource fair to help them reconnect to the community

• City of Detroit hires hundreds of returning citizens each year

• First of many job and resource fairs to link returning citizens to opportunities

For the first time, the City of Detroit held a job fair this week specifically for residents coming home after prison.

Returning citizens are people who’ve been previously incarcerated and are working to rejoin the community. At the Returning Citizens Hiring and Resource Fair, these citizens were able to connect with outreach programs and potential employers.

City opens applications for first phase of Recreational Marijuana Licenses

• The first phase of applications for the limited license types opened September 1 and will remain open through 8 a.m. on October 1

• Retail, micro-business, and designated consumption establishment applicants can visit homegrowndetroit.org to apply starting this week

• Half of licenses will be issued to social equity applicants

The City of Detroit announced this week it is opening the application process for the first phase of capped recreational marijuana licenses. The application window for adult-use retailer, micro-business, and designated consumption establishment licenses opened September 1 and closes at 8 a.m. on October 1.

Half of licenses to be awarded to social equity applicants

The City will issue a total of 160 licenses over three phases of applications, with the first 60 licenses being awarded in Phase One. Applications will be available online at www.homegrowndetroit.org.

There will be 60 licenses awarded in Phase One, as follows:

• 40 Retail: Allows a business to sell marijuana and related products from licensed growers and processors to adult consumers for recreational purposes
• 10 Micro-Business: Allows a small business to vertically integrate by growing and processing up to 150 plants and selling the resulting products to adult consumers for recreational purposes
• 10 Consumption Lounge: Allows a commercial location to host adults to consume marijuana products

Each category of license in all three rounds will have an equal number of general licenses and social equity licenses. To qualify as a social equity applicant under the law, an applicant must be a qualified resident of Detroit or another community determined to be disproportionately impacted by the historical prohibition on marijuana. A business that is at least 51 percent owned by such a person can also qualify as a social equity applicant.

Read the full story at 1st phase of Recreational Marijuana Licenses (detroitmi.gov)

Detroit Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship partners with Art Impact Connect and the Marygrove Conservancy on a special murals event

Detroit ACE is partnering with community arts groups to present a new event, The Mind of a Muralist: Exploring Mural-Making in Metro Detroit at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 18 at the Marygrove Theatre on the Marygrove Conservancy campus at 8425 W McNichols Road.

The event, a panel discussion and performance, will explore the media, motivations, and messaging behind mural-making in Metro Detroit with muralists Dr. Hubert Massey and Ijania Cortez and art historian Deborah Lubera Kawsky.

The panel discussion will address issues such as the motivations behind mural-making, the role of murals in enacting positive change in the community; and the importance of preserving/restoring murals as evidence of Detroit’s rich design legacy. Mural imagery by Dr. Massey, Cortez and Girard will document the diversity of mural media; various processes and styles; achievement of fascinating visual and conceptual juxtapositions.

The event runs from 2 to 4 p.m. on September 18 at the Marygrove Conservancy Theatre. It is co-sponsored by the Marygrove Conservancy, Detroit ACE and Art Impact Connect and is an official part of the Detroit Month of Design festival, programmed by Detroit Design Core Detroit. Month of Design celebrates the city’s status as an UNESCO City of Design. The event is free, but registration is required via Eventbrite at: https://bit.ly/mindofamuralist. 

For more information, read the full story at Art Impact Connect and the Marygrove Conservancy (detroitmi.gov)

Detroit remains in a high COVID-19 community level. Residents can help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 by continuing to wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public regardless of vaccination status.

For residents who are immunocompromised, please consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where they can be exposed.

Everyone should:

• Wear a mask or respirator that provides you with greater protection
• Have a plan for rapid testing if needed
• If you get COVID, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you are a candidate for treatments like oral antivirals and monoclonal antibodies

For more information, visit Detroit Health Department (detroitmi.gov).