Hospitals across the area have set up special hotlines for the coronavirus questions. Details on each are below:
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services - 888-535-6136
Ascension - 833-978-0649
Beaumont Health - 800-592-478
Henry Ford Health System - 313-874-7500
City asking more city employees to work from home
All police, fire, EMS, Health, DDOT & trash collection services will continue unaffected
Some city offices to provide limited hours and staff
Effective March 20, the City of Detroit will be reducing the number of people in city buildings to protect employees who must be in the building to effectively serve citizens and the City of Detroit, Mayor Mike Duggan announced today. Those who can do their jobs remotely are being asked to do so.
All Police, Fire, EMS, Health department and DDOT employees, with the limited exception of some clerical positions, will still report to work as normal. Those clerical staff that do not report to the office will be asked to work from home. Trash collection and recycling services will continue normally and Department of Public Works Traffic Safety workers will continue to address safety issues with traffic signs and signals.
Here is a breakdown of departments and offices that still will have limited public accessibility:
Building Safety, Engineering & Environmental Department
Office hours will be modified to 8am – 2pm with limited staff. Citizens will be able to come to the office during those hours to ask questions or process permits and licenses, however most of these services can be conducted online at detroitmi.gov/bseed.
All BSEED and Department of Administrative Hearings for blight tickets have been postponed until further notice.
Residential permit inspections on occupied properties, with the exception of emergency issues, are suspended for the time being.
Office of Chief Financial Officer
The OCFO will operate with minimal onsite staff.
Services to the public that will be available include the assessor’s office and board of review for applying for the Homeowner Property Tax Assistance Program and property tax appeals for those without internet access. Applications also are available online at www.detroitmi.gov by clicking the “Help With Property Taxes” icon. · For payment activities those can be done online or at https://detroitmi.gov/how-do-i/pay-fine-bill-or-tax, payments can also be done at a local kiosk, to search kisok by zipcode visit codkiosk.com. The Treasurer’s office will also continue to respond to property tax inquires via phone at 313-224-3560 or by email at treasuryinfo@detroitmi.gov
Detroit Water & Sewerage Department
Repair and water restoration crews will continue to work.
Individuals without internet access with customer service needs are encourage to call 313-267-800 For requests that cannot be completed by phone or online, the east side service center at 13303 E. McNichols will remain open from at 8m – 5pm on weekdays.
Temporarily, DWSD will allow new service to be initiated over the phone instead of in person.
Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT)
FARES WILL BE FREE for the duration of the Coronavirus outbreak. For driver health safety, passengers will board and exit through the read doors only.
To ensure the safety of customers and employees, the cashier windows at Rosa Parks Transit Center and the Administrative Building are closed until further notice. DDOT’s Detroit MetroLift and Reduced Fare service locations are also closed.
If you have any questions, contact Customer Service at (313) 933-1300.
Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) - $25 Water Restoration Plan
Customer Care Centers, as of March 18, to protect the safety of our employees and customers and practice the recommended social distancing, will only conduct new service activations and cash payments that require change. Customers may use the DivDat kiosk network, the DWSD portal at www.detroitmi.gov/PayMyWaterBill, or call 313-267-8000 for other transactions.
If you know of anyone who has water service off in their Detroit home, please call 313-386-9727 on their behalf if they are unable to do so themselves. For more information, visit www.detroitmi.gov/WaterRestart.
Homeowners Property Tax Assistance Program (HPTAP) Extension
The City has eliminated deadlines for applications and will now approve them on an on-going basis. If residents submit their HPTAP by May 1st, beyond the March Board of Review Meeting, it will be reflected on their summer tax bill. No further action is needed after residents are approved for the HPTAP until they hear from the Wayne County Treasurer’s Office.
The PAYS program eliminates penalties, interest and fees associated with delinquent taxes, and allows residents to enter into affordable monthly payment plans over three years to manage delinquent debt. Both PAYS and HPTAP work to eliminate financial burdens for residents and provide a comprehensive plan to homeowner stability.
Applications are available online at detroitmi.gov/pays. The City will also have staff available at the Board of Review and the Assessor’s Office M-F 8:30 am - 4:30 pm to assist with applications. Residents can also call (313) 224-3030 for more assistance.
The Treasurer has announced there will be no foreclosures for the remainder of the year. Residents are urged to continue paying their bills as interest will continue to accrue. Due to ongoing efforts, foreclosures of owner-occupied homes were expected to be limited to just a few hundred.
36th District Court eviction process also halted
36th Dist. Court Chief Judge Bill McConico announced he is halting all current eviction proceedings.
Efforts to assist Detroit’s Homeless Population
The City is working closely with the 31 shelter providers in Detroit to ensure they have necessary personal protective equipment. It has also set up a 125-bed facility in partnership with the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries to expand the system’s capacity and provide additional space where homeless individuals at shelters who are exhibiting symptoms such as fever can be isolated.
Blight Ticket Hearings postponed
The Department of Appeals and Hearings is postponing all hearings until a future date, effective Tuesday 3/17/20.
A notice to appear with the new hearing date will be mailed with directions for a rescheduled hearing.
IMPORTANT: How to respond to a postponed “Notice to Appear”
You will receive a Notice to Appear in the mail with the adjourned hearing date.
You can pay your ticket prior to the hearing date and receive a 10% fine discount.
City initiatives to support residents and businesses:
Restaurant Carryout Zone Program
Tuesday March 17, 2020, Mayor Mike Duggan announced the Restaurant Carryout Zone program, which allows any restaurant that has parking meters in front of their establishment to petition to have paid street parking areas converted to free 15 minute pickup zones. Signage will be installed within 48-72 hours after the request is made. The request form can be found at www.detroitmi.gov/coronavirus .
Funds for Businesses
Techtown, in collaboration with the City of Detroit and DEGC has developed the Detroit Small Business Stabilization Fund to provide working capital grants up to $5,000 to small neighborhood businesses whose income is at or below 80% of area median income and has ten or few employees. This particular outreach targets small businesses with low-income owners located in neighborhoods at high risk for displacement. The goal of the fund is to help small businesses bridge the gap until additional funding resources are announced. Application instructions will be make available later this week at techtowndetroit.org.
The city is working with local partners to continue to coordinate and advocate on additional larger funds for businesses.
Food Rescue Program
The City of Detroit is partnering with Forgotten Harvest and Detroit restaurants to “rescue” surplus food that otherwise might go to waste during the COVID-19 outbreak and provide to local area agencies for residents in need. Not only will the donations help families in need, they also will support participating businesses financially by unlocking tax deductions.
The Food Rescue program is being offered to interested restaurants with surplus food waste & ability to transport to nearby agencies. Organizers are looking for surplus food that will perish due to closure of restaurants in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Businesses interested in participating can find more information and fill out a signup form at http://bit.ly/detroitfoodrescue. After filling out the form, businesses will receive email instructions directing them to a nearby receiving agency and details on how to track their donation.
Coordination on Employment
The City is offering guidance to business owners on how to handle employees during this time. For businesses that are closed/limited service right now, the State is encouraging employers to place employees on temporary leave and advise the worker they expect to have work available within 120 days rather than laying them off or terminating them. There is no additional cost to employers, employees remain eligible for Unemployment benefits through the state, and employees may remain eligible for potential federal assistance. More details are highlighted here.
Additional information from Detroit at Work can be found here.
The DEGC is looking to help promote businesses. If you want your business to participate, please complete this link.
HAPPENING ACROSS STATE GOVERNMENT
Yesterday, the Michigan Strategic Fund approvedthe Michigan Small Business Relief Program which authorizes the MEDC to provide up to $20 million in support for small businesses. The funding is divided between $10 million in small business grants and $10 million in small business loans to support businesses facing drastic reductions in cash flow and the continued support of their workforce.
Yesterday, Governor Whitmer announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved her request for a statewide Economic Injury Disaster Loan declaration, opening the opportunity to small businesses to access low-interest loans from the SBA. The EIDL designation means that Michigan small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and nonprofits that have suffered substantial economic losses as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak will now have the ability to apply for low-interest loans as part of $1 billion in funding made available to the SBA by Congress earlier this month.
The Department of the Attorney General has surpassed 800 consumer complaints of price-gougingrelated to COVID-19, as the office today received a complaint of a new COVID-19 scam making an appearance in Michigan. Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s office has sent another business a cease and desist letter for selling high-priced face masks.
MDHHS continuedto urge residents to practice social distancing to combat the spread of COVID-19. Yesterday, officials called on healthy residents to continue blood donations to help the state avoid a life-threatening blood shortage.
