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Good Neighbor program pays Detroiters $50 for taking residents to get vaccines

By and David Komer online producer
Updated  April 28, 2021 8:27pm EDT
Coronavirus Vaccine
FOX 2 Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is offering neighbors $50 for every resident they convince to get a vaccine.

"Nobody wants to listen to Dr. Fauci or me or Gov. Whitmer tell them one more time to take the vaccine, but they will listen to their neighbors," said Duggan.

Mayor Duggan unveils Good Neighbor program paying residents to bring others for vaccines

Good Neighbors are limited to three vaccine recipients per car per trip, but can make as many trips as they like if they are able to identify more Detroiters to drive to their appointment.

The city is expanding its "Good Neighbor" program to get more residents vaccinated. The push comes as 89 Detroiters died from Covid this month and more than 400 people are still in Detroit hospitals with the disease.

"And here's the scariest number of all, of the 415 people in the hospital today, 119 are breathing on a vent," Duggan said. "Think about that, a quarter of all people need a ventilator to breathe to stay alive. And we know the death rate is troublingly high for those who are put on a ventilator.

"There is something about this British variant that is hitting the lungs of people really hard."

Under the expanded program, registered Good Neighbors can earn $50 gift cards for every Detroiter they usher through the vaccination process. From scheduling residents for their first dose appointments starting Monday, to driving them to vaccination sites. 

Detroit residents can go to:

  • The TCF Center drive-thru  Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
  • Northwest Activities Center Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Straight Gate International Church outdoor drive-thru on Grand River Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
  • Community churches Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The city is using grant money to fund the expansion of the Good Neighbor program. Mayor Duggan also announced that Detroiters will be able to get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again starting Thursday.

It will be offered at Northwest Activities Center and Straight Gate International Church. The CDC and FDA lifted their recommended pause on the use of the vaccine last week after reports of six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot in people who got the one-dose vaccine. 

Experts say the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson shot far outweigh the risks associated with it. 

If you want to become one of the city's Good Neighbors, you first have to register by calling a hotline at 313-230-0505. 

A woman receives the COVID-19 vaccine at a Detroit location.

A woman receives the COVID-19 vaccine at a Detroit location.

They must then schedule first dose appointments for each of the Detroit residents they plan to transport. 

Good Neighbors are limited to three vaccine recipients per car per trip, but can make as many trips as they like if they are able to identify more Detroiters to drive to their appointment.