News Flash

Notice of Public Comment Period on Proposed Fiscal Year 2022 Community Services Block Grant Plan

Notice of Public Comment Period on Proposed Fiscal Year 2022 Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Plan

The Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) will accept public comments on its Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Plan f...

Washtenaw County Residents Affected by Flooding Eligible for Disaster Food Assistance Program

Starting tomorrow, low-income residents of Wayne and Washtenaw counties who were affected by recent flooding and are not already receiving food assistance benefits soon can apply for federal Disaster Food Assistance Program benefits. The Michigan Departme...

New Human Services Partnership to Replace Coordinated Funding

Washtenaw County and the City of Ann Arbor are working together in coordination with other local funding agencies to develop a New Human Services Partnership to replace Washtenaw Coordinated Funding.

The New partnership will focus investments in efforts to...

UPDATED: Flood Resources Available for Washtenaw County Residents

UPDATE: The deadline for survivors for the June 25-26 severe storms and flooding to register with FEMA for individual disaster assistance has been extended to Wednesday, October 13, 2021. 

The extension applies to survivors living in Wayne and Was...

Rental, Utility, and Internet Assistance Available as Eviction Moratorium Nears Expiration

Rental and utility relief assistance funds are available now! Learn more here.

The Federal CDC Eviction Moratorium will end on July 31, but assistance funds are available to help qualifying households in Washtenaw County who continue to face pande...

Barrier Busters Unmet Needs Fund Continues to Support Residents Impacted by the Pandemic

A summary report from the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) shows financial assistance requests made during the first quarter of 2021 (January through March 2021) to the Barrier Buster Unmet Needs Fund continued...

Brownfield Redevelopment Authority Releases Bi-Annual Report

Washtenaw County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority (WCBRA) recently released the program’s bi-annual report. The report includes information about activities, grant programs, and financial data from 2019 and 2020. 

Highlights from the r...

Barrier Busters Releases 2020 Annual Report

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, OCED worked to increase and expand the capacity of Barrier Busters, welcoming new partners with strong community connections to the network. Additional funding was also secured from partners including Washtenaw County...

COVID Emergency Rental Assistance is Now Available!

Having trouble paying or receiving rent? Federal funds are available to help tenants facing pandemic-related hardships avoid eviction while also ensuring landlords can recoup owed rent through the COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) program. CERA is ...

Financial Assistance Requests Remain Higher than Average as the Impact of COVID-19 Continues

The Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) recently released updated Barrier Busters COVID-19 response summary reports. These summary reports detail Barrier Busters activities between July 1 and September 30. During that time...

Washtenaw County OCED Releases New Report on Activities from January 2019 Through August 2020

The Washtenaw County Office Community and Economic Development (OCED) released a report detailing activities from January 2019 through August 2020. The report includes a summary of programs, initiatives, and&am...

Washtenaw County Launches Program to Give Away 10,000 Free Masks

As we prepare for colder weather and more indoor activities, masks will continue to be vital to limit the spread of COVID-19.  To improve access across the County,  the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development is wor...

OCED Partners with Community for Socially Distant Parkridge SummerFest & Joe Dulin Community Day

This summer, Parkridge SummerFest and Joe Dulin Community Day celebrated 10 years of bringing together music, food, and community in Parkridge Park every fourth Saturday of August. This year’s festivities looked a little different due to the COV...

Barrier Busters Requests Triple During COVID-19 Response

Newly released summary reports from the Washtenaw County Office Community and Economic Development (OCED) show financial assistance requests made to the Barrier Buster Unmet Needs Fund tripled during the first months of the COVID-19 pand...

Community Chooses New Playground Design Ypsilanti’s Parkridge Park

Over the last year, the City of Ypsilanti and the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development engaged over 100 residents to identify and prioritize what type of investment they want to see in their community. Last Summer, dozens of commu...

New Partnership and Program Supports Renters to Prevent Eviction

Washtenaw County OCED is partnering with Housing Access for Washtenaw County (HAWC) and Legal Services of South Central Michigan (LSSCM) to administer a new Eviction Diversion and Prevention (EDP) program. The EDP program connects individuals to financial...

MEDIA RELEASE: Ann Arbor Announces Affordable Housing Waitlist Website

On Friday, July 24, 2020, the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED), along with the City of Ann Arbor, launched a new affordable housing waitlist website: AnnArborWaitlist.com. The waitlist will open for the first t...

Washtenaw County Continuum Of Care Adopts Racial Equity Statement

On July 15, 2020, the Washtenaw County Continuum of Care (CoC) Board adopted a statement committing to understanding and addressing racial equity in the local homelessness response system. 

In ...

Michigan Launches Program to Support Small Business Impacted by COVID-19

Washtenaw County Opens Cooling Centers

With temperatures expected to rise above 90° this week, Washtenaw County will open two (2) cooling centers beginning July 7^th. Starting Tuesday morning, the atrium of the Community Mental Health building at 555 Towner St. in Ypsilanti and the Lear...

Substantial Amendment to Urban County Citizen Participation Plan available for comment

Nonprofit Agencies Receive Support From Washtenaw County and Community Partners

Washtenaw County nonprofits are playing a major role in stepping up to provide essential services to the members of our community during the COVID-19 crisis. From helping coordinate food distribution to staffin...

Washtenaw County Partners to Support Local Businesses During the COVID-19 Crisis

“Just as Washtenaw County has been working hard to ensure residents have the latest public health information and access to essential services, we are committed to helping the small business community,” said Gregory Dill, Washtenaw Cou...

Substantial Amendment to Washtenaw Urban County 2019 Action Plan available for comment

Environmental Review for Upcoming Projects

Hilltop View Apartments

Location: 7651 Dan Hoey Rd, Dexter, MI 48130

Developer: Avalon Housing, Inc.

• Click here to view the Combined Notice. This notice details the finding of no significant impact on the environment and the request for the release ...

Washtenaw County Support New Statewide Capacity Building Initiative

Through Washtenaw Coordinated Funders, the Office of Community and Economic Development is supporting a new initiative that will enable nonprofits to connect with talent and receive capacity-building support. &ldquo...

Draft Washtenaw Urban County 2020 Action Plan now available for comment

Washtenaw County Summer Youth Employment Program Now Accepting Applications

“Being a part of SummerWorks was awesome! My job led to an internship and the internship turned into my career!”

- 2017 SummerWorks Participant 

Are you between the ages of 16 and 24? Do you w...

Washtenaw County Offers Funding for Census Outreach Projects

As the country prepares for Census 2020, Washtenaw County is working to reach out to groups that have been historically undercounted, such as college students, children, people of color, low-income individuals, and more. Given the importance of the Decenn...

OCED Participates in Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is an annual, nationwide program where organizations and advocates draw attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness in communities across the country. This year, the Shelter Associ...

Washtenaw County Brownfield Authority Releases 2018 Annual Report

Last month, the Washtenaw County Brownfield Authority (WCBRA) released its 2018 Annual Report. The report detailed over 65 million dollars in private investment and substantial environmental remediation and public infrastructure investme...

Washtenaw County Announces Winter Shelter and Warming Centers

Starting Monday, November 11th, 2019, any individuals seeking emergency shelter during the upcoming cold winter months can find a safe and warm place to sleep each night at the Delonis Center (312 W Huron St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103) and&...

Community Members Identify and Prioritize New Housing and Public Infrastructure Projects

The Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development and the City of Ypsilanti hosted a series of meetings with residents who live in the neighborhood located south of W. Michigan Avenue in Ypsilan...

OCED Partners with United Way to Explore Financial Empowerment for Residents

Earlier this month, Washtenaw County was announced as part of a new cohort of communities receiving grants to explore the feasibility of launching Financial Empowerment Centers in their communities through the Cities for Financi...