Michigan's moratorium on evictions has been lifted and with it, an estimated 75,000 Michigan case filings could now start working their way through the district court systems. In the city of Detroit alone, officials estimate at least 10,000 homes could be facing eviction as wages struggle to rebound and a faltering job market continues to lag.
It's the more recent executive order that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer won't renew. Instead, the state has established a $50 million fund for landlords to offset a majority of the missed rental payments from tenants who lost their job or saw their wages cut due to the pandemic. Although many believe those funds could dry up quickly due to the number of people who couldn't make payments.
On the last day of the moratorium, Mayor Mike Duggan announced a $5.1 million fund of Detroit CARES Act funding and another $6.4 million in Michigan CARES Act funding could help ease the burden on city renters. There's also an array of legal aid and other resources available to renters through community housing groups throughout the region and around the state.
Beginning today, Detroit residents at risk can call (866) 313-2525 or visit detroitevictionhelp.com to get connected with services. That might look like financial aid, navigating the eviction process, or landing a new place to live. The city says to expect wait times between 10 and 15 minutes. A completed online form should take less than 72 hours to receive a response.
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Rental aid and legal assistance available for struggling renters
An estimated 10,000 Detroit residents could be facing homelessness as the state's moratorium on evictions is lifted. This added stress from the pandemic comes with some relief, including $11 million made available from the city's budget.
The United Community Housing Coalition, Lakeshore Legal Aid, and Michigan Legal Services can also offer help.
“It is vitally important during this time that we address housing instability, especially during a pandemic,” said Director of Housing and Revitalization Donald Rencher.
New COVID-19 cases skyrocket close to 900
Michigan's recent uptick in new COVID-19 cases is starting to look more like a second surge after its daily case count climbed to 891 on Wednesday. It's the largest increase in daily positive tests since May. The dire news came with a warning from Whitmer that it could mean the state might have to revert back to phase 3 of its economic reopening plan.
Experts have warned the economy would be decimated if a second wave of business closures is enacted if coronavirus cases don't stay down. While last month's uptick in new cases has followed a more gradual increase compared to the exponential spike observed in March, there are different factors driving the most recent bump in new cases.
Instead of prisons and nursing homes, it's crowds of young people driving up the infection rate. Instead of the Metro Detroit region hosting the epicenter, the highest increases are on the west side of the state. While the state is now testing a record 21,000 people a day, the new caseloads can't only be attributed to better capacity for screening.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said it was people ages 20-29 that were seeing the highest rate of increase.
"Young people are not immune to this disease. You can get very sick, need to be hospitalized, and even die. There are possible long-term health impacts, many of which are still unknown. People can have persistent lung damage, longterm brain damage, and psychiatric challenges," she said.
Parties in Saline and on Diamond Lake during the Fourth of July weekend, as well as crowded bars in East Lansing and Royal Oak have been linked to outbreaks where more than 200 people have been infected. Contract tracing has followed those cases to exposure sites all around the state and even beyond its borders.
In a surprise appearance on Wednesday, university athletic coaches like Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo found themselves at the podium of the governor's press conference. Izzo admonished the way some people have treated the pandemic in Michigan.
"I've been a little disappointed how some of the Michiganders have handled somethings lately," he said. "there's no task we can't handle especially when we tackle it together."
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Gov. Whitmer says state is at ‘turning point’ in COVID-19 cases
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer held a press conference Wednesday to address the state's ongoing response to increasing COVID-19 cases.
Whitmer said 'spotty compliance' has placed the state on a trajectory toward more cases than what it experienced in April, and that would mean restaurants and auto plants might have to close.
Detroit rapper Trick Trick offering $5K reward for unsolved murder of 4-year-old
Dr. C.A. "Trick Trick" Mathis has a warning for the individual who killed Nathaniel Townsend:
"Anybody that will fire a gun, recklessly, harm a child, kill a child - and not be man enough to answer to his (expletive), they need to be hunted down like a dog and put in a cage," he said.
The 4-year-old was visiting his grandmother's house in Detroit at the 18600 Block of Birwood when someone shot into the home. Townsend was struck on May 21. Now two months later, his murder remains unresolved and justice hasn't been brought.
"So I felt like, okay let me help you get some," he said. "Because we can’t have that. The street code, all that (expletive) goes out the window when it comes to babies. When it comes to children, ain’t no damn snitching. Ain't no protecting, no harboring a mother (expletive) that will shoot and harm, and kill a child."
The godfather of Detroit rap put out a $5,000 reward for finding the shooter. He was inspired to offer the pledge after New Era Detroit founder Zeek expressed concern about recent shootings of children in the city. Both activists feel the violence hasn't gained the attention it's warranted in the public.
"We have to start doing whatever it takes by any means necessary to get the people who kill kids who harm elders who are attacking our women, off the streets," said Zeek. "And if we have to start putting our money up to get information, to get people off the street, that’s exactly what we’re going to do."
Daily Forecast
Spotty showers will blanket the region until later this afternoon and temperatures will climb to the mid-80s.
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Spotty showers today
Rain will come to an end later this afternoon
Hackers appear to target Twitter accounts of Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Kanye West, others in bitcoin scam
The Twitter accounts of several major companies and notable individuals were compromised on Wednesday in an apparent widespread hack involving a bitcoin scam.
The accounts of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former U.S. President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden were among those targeted.
Messages appearing on their accounts showed statements about bitcoin and promised to “double” payments sent to a bitcoin wallet address.