August 11, 2021
Friends,
Last week was the primary for the November elections. I hope everyone who had an election was able to get out and make their voice heard, whether it was via absentee ballot or at the polls. Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and the primaries are the first step in the process toward choosing a new direction for our communities.
In this newsletter, I’ve included updates on new CDC COVID-19 guidelines, helpful resources for Wayne County residents who experienced flooding, a rental assistance consumer alert, waivers for eligible unemployment claimants, and news about an upcoming nationwide test of the emergency alert system.
Also, I hope you can join me for my Summer Fun Day event on Friday, Aug. 13 from 7 to 10 PM at Rouge Park! Details are below. This event is free and open to all 3rd District residents.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office at 517-373-0990, or email me if you have any questions or need assistance.
Working for you,
Sylvia Santana
State Senator
District 3
CDC COVID-19 GUIDELINES UPDATE
Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases resulting from the Delta variant, the CDC has updated their COVID-19 guidelines for vaccinated individuals:
- Individuals who are fully vaccinated should wear a mask indoors if in an area of substantial or high transmission rates to maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent it from spreading to others.
- Masks should continue to be worn where required by laws, rules, regulations, or local guidance.
If you have not yet been fully vaccinated, click here to locate a vaccine location near you. It is important that we vaccinate to protect ourselves and each other from the COVID-19 virus and Delta variant.
You may also call (800) 232-0233 or text your ZIP code to 438829 to find locations. For more information, please visit the CDC website.
$10M IN EMERGENCY RELIEF TO HELP RESIDENTS RECOVER FROM FLOOD EVENTS
On Friday, July 29, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a plan to utilize $10 million in state general funds to provide emergency relief to households impacted by heavy rainfall and flooding on June 25 and 26. This money will go to families who have already gone through the federal Small Business Administration and FEMA aid process and who did not receive as much support as they needed to rebuild. The dollars for each community in Wayne County, Washtenaw County, and the City of Detroit will be based on initial damage assessments.
The $10 million in general funds is part of a supplemental funding bill, signed by Governor Whitmer on July 26, to be used to assist areas of the state with restoration costs and other expenses resulting from weather-related events that occurred in June 2021. The governor has also requested more than $50 million in federal assistance to repair damaged highways and purchase backup pump station generators.
While this assistance is greatly appreciated, it also highlights the need for continued work to identify the long-term needs that these recent weather events represent and work to address them. At the legislative level, we must make long-term, lasting investments in infrastructure so that we can build our infrastructure back better than before.
I want you to know that I am going to work closely with our congressional delegation to get every penny of federal dollars we can back to Michigan so we can start upgrading our infrastructure as soon as possible and create thousands of good-paying jobs for Michiganders along the way.
DISASTER UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE FOR RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY SEVERE STORMS
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is available to eligible individuals because of a major disaster declared by the President on July 15, 2021. The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency is accepting applications for DUA from individuals in Washtenaw and Wayne Counties whose employment or self-employment was lost or interrupted due to Severe Storms and Flooding between June 25, 2021, through June 26, 2021. Applications for DUA must be filed by Aug. 23, 2021.
To be eligible for DUA benefits under Presidential Disaster Declaration FEMA-# 4607 DR, individuals:
- Must apply for regular unemployment insurance benefits.
- Must not qualify for regular unemployment insurance benefits from any state.
- Must be an unemployed or self-unemployed worker whose unemployment was caused as a direct result of the major disaster declared by the President.
- Must be a U.S. national or a qualified alien.
- Must have worked or was self-employed in, or was scheduled to begin work or self-employment in, one of the counties listed above; and,
- Must establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
Other individuals eligible to apply for DUA are those who:
- Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of this disaster.
- Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury caused as a direct result of this disaster.
- Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of the household as a direct result of this disaster; or,
- Cannot work or perform self-employment due to closure of a facility by the federal government as a direct result of this disaster.
Individuals who may be eligible for assistance, must file a claim by downloading a paper application at Michigan.gov/UIA.
RENTAL ASSISTANCE CONSUMER ALERT, NEW ASSISTANCE TOOL
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is issuing warning signs of rental scams and a reminder that it’s important to remember that bad actors are always looking for opportunities to scam people currently searching for a place to live.
Nessel’s new Rental Listing Scams Consumer Alert explains ways bad actors will promote a property that isn’t a legitimate listing in an effort to cheat an interested renter out of money. Fraudulent rental listings typically happen in two ways:
- Hijacked Ads – Some scammers may copy a listing from a legitimate real estate listing and place it on a different website. It all looks legitimate, but in reality, the bad actor is promoting a property they’re not affiliated with.
- Phantom Rentals – Other scammers may actually make up a listing in an effort to cheat an unsuspecting renter out of money. These will often offer rent that is far lower than other listings in the area.
More tips on how to avoid a rental listing scam can be found in the consumer alert. Consumer complaints can be filed online at the Attorney General’s website, or by calling 877-765-8388.
In addition, if you’re looking for help with housing costs, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has put together a new lookup tool that can be found online at consumerfinance.gov/renthelp. There is money available from state and local organizations that are distributing federal rental assistance dollars to help property owners and renters struggling to keep up with rent and other bills.
ELIGIBLE UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMANTS GRANTED OVERPAYMENT WAIVERS
The Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) has begun to notify claimants who are no longer eligible to receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits that overpayments will be waived.
In June, claimants were asked to requalify for PUA by providing the agency with the necessary information to remain eligible for the federal program.
Of the roughly 690,000 claimants that were asked to requalify, about 241,000 responded to the UIA’s request. Waivers will be granted to the initial group of approximately 350,000 non-responses, many of whom may no longer be collecting benefits. Affected claimants will receive notification in their MiWAM account, or by U.S. mail.
Claimants can visit Michigan.gov/UIA to access their MiWAM account to chat with an agent. They can also contact the UIA by phone at 866-500-0017 or schedule a telephone, virtual or in-person appointment.
NATIONWIDE TEST OF EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM SET FOR AUGUST 11
FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on Wednesday, Aug. 11 between 2:20 and 2:50 PM.
The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. The WEA portion of the test will be directed only to consumer cell phones where the subscriber has opted-in to receive test messages. If you have not opted in, you will NOT receive the test. This a test of the infrastructure itself and not the phones, so there is no obligation for you to opt-in to receiving alert messages.
Visit FEMA.gov for more information.
JOIN ME ON AUG. 13 FOR MY SUMMER FUN DAY GATHERING
Please join me for an evening of conversation and community fun at my Summer Fun Day event on Friday, Aug. 13. The festivities will take place in Rouge Park, located at 21415 Plymouth Road in Detroit, from 7 to 10 p.m.
This family-friendly event is a great way to gather with friends and neighbors from the 3rd Senate District, and will feature face painting, food trucks, community police and firefighters, the Wayne County sheriff, Army National Guard and more, including a movie. Health care workers with the Wayne Health Mobile Unit will also be in attendance and available to administer the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to anyone eligible who is interested in receiving it.
The event is free and open to the public, although attendees are asked to bring blankets or lawn chairs for watching the movie.
Here are the details:
WHO: Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit)
WHAT: Summer Fun Day
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 13, from 7 to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Brennan Pools – Rouge Park, 21415 Plymouth Road, Detroit, MI 48228
For more information about this event, call my office at (517) 373-0990, toll-free at (855) DIST003 (855-347-8003) or send an email to SenSSantana@senate.michigan.gov.