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The Oakland Together Community Response and Recovery Fund, which was established by Oakland County Executive David Coulter and the Board of Commissioners, awarded $9.7 million in grants to a total of 84 non-profit organizations whose services were severely impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The grants ranged from $4,000 to $500,000 and will help the organizations restore vital services and programs that were reduced or eliminated because of the pandemic. The funds are part of what Oakland County received from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
All grant awardees are 501(c)(3) organizations based in Oakland County or provide services to county residents. Priority was given to organizations that support the basic needs of county residents, including food, housing, health care (including both physical and behavioral) or financial assistance. The program was administered in partnership with United Way for Southeastern Michigan.
A complete list of grant recipients can be found at oakgov.com/covid/grants.
Oakland County Michigan Works! is offering an interactive virtual workshop every Tuesday to help prepare job seekers for remote, online interviews, which are the norm for many employers because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oakland County Michigan Works! has created the workshop to provide job seekers with tips and strategies to help prepare them for an interview process that may be unfamiliar to them.
The free workshops are held Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. through August 25. To register and view workshop topics, visit OaklandCountyMIWorks.com.
Oakland County has allocated $1 million in emergency financial assistance for Oakland County veterans, service members and eligible family members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Financial assistance can be provided for:
- Housing
- Utilities
- Food assistance
- Child care
- Home and vehicle repairs
- Other expenses related to COVID-19
Applicants must be a resident of Oakland County have received honorable or general under honorable conditions discharge from the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, National Guard, Reserves or women’s auxiliaries or be a dependent of the veteran. To apply, complete an application at https://publicdocs.oakgov.com/Forms/VeteransGrant.
To learn more about qualifications and required documentation, www.oakgov.com/covid/grants/Pages/veterans. Those with questions can also call 248-858-0785.
The Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to create the Oakland Together Local Government Partnership at its June 4 meeting. The partnership establishes a $35 million grant program to help cities, villages and townships, and other local government entities in Oakland County address the COVID-19 pandemic. Following federally approved guidelines, the grants can help cover necessary costs local governments have incurred due to the public health emergency, and that were not accounted for in a budget approved as of March 27, 2020.
Oakland County Executive David Coulter proposed the local government partnership after hearing from local leaders and governments about the need to address unplanned and unexpected costs. A bipartisan oversight committee consisting three commissioners and two appointees of the Oakland County Executive will determine eligible applicants and develop, release, review and recommend a grant application process for the program. It may also develop specific applications for public entities, including but not limited to, local libraries, senior centers and community centers.
The county administration will host webinars with local governments to explain the new grant program and assist with local applications.
Oakland County has created a COVID-19 ReOpen Kit to provide small business owners, local communities, nonprofit and faith-based leaders with materials and guidelines to safely reopen.
The ReOpen Kit includes a digital COVID-19 toolkit and a physical tote of difficult to acquire personal protection equipment (PPE) and disinfecting supplies. To request a free ReOpen Kit, visit forms.oakgov.com/151. For more information, visit oakgov.com/covid/resources.
At its June 25 meeting, the Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to approve the Oakland Together School Nurse Initiative at its June 25 meeting.
The $2 million initiative is a collaboration between the Oakland County Health Division and Oakland Schools. The Health Division will hire 68 nurses to work with schools and help develop COVID-19 prevention strategies when students return for classes in the fall through December. These nurses will then serve individual school districts to provide preventive services and early identification of problems, interventions and referrals related to the pandemic.
In addition, the nurses will work with the districts to facilitate health management and care for students during the school day. The initiative follows guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends that each school has a point of contact to respond to COVID-19 concerns. It will be funded from the money Oakland County received through the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/OCSchoolNrs.
Oakland County, in partnership with Honor Community Health, offers free drive-through COVID-19 testing to Oakland County residents by appointment only (same day appointments are not available):
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Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1200 N Telegraph Rd., Pontiac
Medical Examiners Facility (Bldg. 28E) Parking Lot
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Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
27725 Greenfield Rd., Southfield
Oakland County Health Division Parking Lot
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Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
45175 W 10 Mile Rd, Novi
Novi Civic Center Parking Lot
Individuals are screened for symptoms, age, and whether or not they are part of a priority testing population, etc. before an appointment is scheduled. Those over the age of 18 should call Oakland County’s “Nurse on Call” at 1-800-848-5533 to schedule an appointment.
COVID-19 testing is also available to any resident of the tri-county region (Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb County) through the Coronavirus Community Care Network located at Joe Dumars Fieldhouse at the State Fairgrounds in Detroit. To schedule an appointment, call 313-230-0505 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information on testing, visit oakgov.com/covid.
There’s still time to complete the Census!
Oakland County’s Census response rate is currently 76.2 percent, while the national average is 61.8 (as of June 30, 2020). The 2020 Census benefits all Michiganders. Each person counted on the census will help Oakland County receive vital funding and to give all Michiganders equal opportunities in education, employment, home ownership and voting.
Residents can participate by visiting www.2020census.gov or calling 844-330-2020.
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