A Note from Commissioner Shink

After two years with COVID an ever-present factor in our lives, it feels good to no longer be at the case and hospitalization level we were at in January, but we need to keep staying safe. In addition to making vaccinations, testing, and masks available to residents, I’ve worked hard with the 1400 Washtenaw County employees and fellow elected officials to continue to deliver good government to our residents. Climate Action Planning is underway and includes the input of residents and local governments. The American Rescue Plan Funds allocated to Washtenaw County have created an opportunity to listen effectively to residents and respond to the needs we hear. I am proud of our allocations to support education and high school graduation through Children’s Savings Accounts, make childcare more accessible, make health care more accessible, address issues that made COVID more devastating in the 48197/48198 areas, and make highspeed internet available to every home in Washtenaw County.

I continue to serve on the Agricultural Lands Preservation Advisory Committee, the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, the Brownfield Authority, the Environmental Council, and others to ensure that I am doing everything I can to support a high quality of life in Washtenaw County.

I hope that you have a wonderful spring. Please reach out to me to let me know your thoughts!

Sue Shink
Chair of the Board of Commissioners
Commissioner, District 2

Making Strides to Connect All of Washtenaw County to High Speed Internet

In September 2021, the Board of Commissioners approved an investment of $15 million in County general funds and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to address issues of broadband connectivity in Washtenaw County. The goal of the investment is to operationalize the recommendations of the county’s Broadband Taskforce and connect every household in Washtenaw to high-speed broadband internet. The need for access was exasperated during the Covid-19 pandemic as the need for telemedicine, virtual school and remote work was made glaringly apparent. Because of this investment, the County is on track to become one of the first counties in the state with every household connected to broadband internet.

County Administration and staff have been working to operationalize the broadband allocation. In late 2021, an RFP process was completed and Washtenaw County contracted with DCS Technology Design for Project Manager services. The DCS team began working with county staff and the Broadband Taskforce to get up to speed and plot out next steps. Contract negotiations for service providers are on-going as of March 2022.

More information about the county’s broadband work can be found here. An updated timeline will be shared once contracts are complete and that information becomes available.

The Creation of the Community Priority Fund

On March 2nd, the Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the second usage of American Rescue Plan funds. This package approved the launching of a mobile service support initiative that will connect resources and providers to neighborhoods, an investment in the health departments' efforts to respond to COVID and address longstanding social determinants of health, and the creation of a Community Priority Fund.

The Community Priority Fund (CPF) is a strategic initiative funded by the Board of Commissioners to increase equitable, community-informed allocations of ARPA funding, and to support full, ecosystem development for organizations that have not been previously eligible to contract with Washtenaw County. This fund will support innovative programs across a number of topic areas, including community violence intervention, addressing educational disparities, expanding early childhood education, providing direct assistance to households, and addressing housing and homelessness. All programs are required to support low access to opportunity areas, primarily in the 48197 and 48198 zip codes.

The County's Racial Equity Office opened a portal for interested organizations and businesses to submit their proposals in March that closed last week. The next step of this process will be for county staff, a community advisory board, and the county administrator to review proposals and provide recommendations to the Board of Commissioners. More updates will be provided on the County's website in the coming weeks and months.

Office of Community and Economic Development Updates and Resources

In the first quarter of 2022, the Board received several updates on the work of the Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) to serve our community. In the first quarter of 2022, OCED continued operating the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program, recruited youth and employers for another year of the SummerWorks youth and young adult employment program, and released their 2021 Barrier Busters annual report.

The CERA program provided over $6 million of rental, utility, and internet assistance to more than 850 households in 2021. This program, which is a partnership between OCED, Housing Access for Washtenaw County, and SOS Community Service, continued to serve Washtenaw County residents during the first three months of 2022, and will continue to do so moving forward. Learn more, including how to access assistance here.

SummerWorks is a summer employment, mentorship, and professional development program for young adults from ages 16 to 24. SummerWorks strengthens the community and develops talent by leveraging local resources and networks to provide career opportunities and mentorship to young adults. In the first quarter, OCED and their partners at the University of Michigan and Michigan Works once again recruited young adults, employers, and mentors for this years program. Learn more @ SummerWorks.info

At the end of the first quarter, the Barrier Busters Network, coordinated by OCED, released its 2021 Annual Report. The report showed the initiative providing over $500,000 of support to over 900 households to stay in their homes, keep the lights on, afford transportation, and more. The Board has and will continue to support the Barrier Busters program with direct funding, advocacy, and staff support. Individuals interested in learning more can visit the Barrier Busters webpage.

Also during the first quarter, the Board continued to support OCED by approving a number of grants that come from the state and federal governments. This includes the funding of a number of critical programs like coordinating the county's housing and homelessness response, providing important resources to seniors like Meals on Wheels, and making community infrastructure improvements. The Board also approved the acceptance of grants to expand OCED's Home Improvement programs, which provide free home improvement services to lower-income households. To learn more, including how to apply, go to this webpage.

Other Updates from the First Quarter

Click each title to read the full update: