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Dallas City Hall
District 12
Enews
May 4, 2020
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Connecting You With City Information, News, and Resources
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COVID-19 State of Emergency
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Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn
Please check out these important resources for COVID-19:
(comprehensive listing of resources)
(this includes rental assistance, how to file for unemployment, job resources, food assistance, help paying utilities, mental health resources, business loan information and other important resources)
Johns Hopkins
Coronavirus Resource Center
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Hello District 12,
Thinking of you and hoping you are doing well. The local situation with COVID-19 is changing all the time, and I pray we are past the worst part of this pandemic. News is all around us and I trust you are seeking out reliable resources for health information (I have links to some to the left) and continue to make decisions that are right for your and your family.
Some city services, like tennis centers, golf courses, and the gun range have reopened. Things like the libraries, recreation centers, and city hall are being evaluated for safe practices. City Council committees resume Monday, May 5th and there is much work to be done.
Monday, May 5th is also the launch of
two important programs to 1) help people pay rent or mortgages and 2) a special small business grant/loan program. Please see more information below. These are TIME SENSITIVE programs.
If I can assist you in any way, please reach out by email or call and leave a message with the district office and we will return your call. For now, we continue to work from home.
Wishing you and your family good health,
Cara
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Mortgage and Rental Assistance Program
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The program begins accepting applications on Monday 5/4 at 9 am. Eligible applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis. Assistance will provide up to $1,500 for three months per eligible household with additional assistance options available. To qualify for the pre-screening process, applicants must be City of Dallas residents who suffered an economic impact due to COVID-19 related restrictions. For questions, you can email rentalandmortgageassistance@dallascityhall.com or call (469) 749-6500 Monday through Friday, 9 am - 5 pm.
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The City of Dallas has created a COVID-19 Dashboard containing data that is updated as frequently as available on COVID-19 cases, ventilator and bed capacity, lab tests, demographic information, and other critical data. I have found it to be the most useful data for our local situation. You can check it out by clicking the link below.
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Small Business Continuity Fund
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The program begins accepting applications on Monday 5/4 at 9 am and STOP accepting applications 5/11 at 11:59 pm. A lottery process will determine which businesses receive funding. $2.5 million is set aside for low-cost loans (up to $50,000 each) and $2.5 million is set aside for grants (up to $10,000 each). Of the $2.5 million in grants, $1.25 million is reserved for businesses located in highly-distressed census tracts. All businesses must be located in the City of Dallas. Businesses must be able to prove they were in operation for a minimum of six months prior to March 16, 2020 adn demonstrate a 25% drop in revenue due to the COVID-19 restrictions. For questions, please email sbcf@dallascityhall.com or call (469) 749-6500 Monday through Friday 9 am - 5 pm.
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The Texas Health and Human Services department has launched a statewide mental health support line to help Texans experiencing anxiety, stress or emotional challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(833) 986-1919
The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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Dallas Animals During COVID-19
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Dallas Animal Services continues to do outstanding work during these difficult times. They are still collecting stray animals, finding foster homes for pets, helping animals find forever homes through adoption, and more, but without their usual volunteers and with lots of changes to protocol. If you would like to adopt or foster a pet, please go to their webpage at
www.dallascityhall.com/departments/dallas-animal-servies/pages/default.aspx or give them a call (214) 670-6800. We are so lucky to have the Everyday Adoption Center for Dallas Animal Services located in Petsmart at Coit and Campbell.
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Have you completed the census yet? Go to
www.2020census.org or call 855-562-2020. It's required by the US Constitution, directs federal dollars to schools, roads, social services, cities and states, and affects the number of representatives we have in Washington DC.
Participation: District 12 - 52.5%, City of Dallas - 45.3%, Texas 47.3%, US - 51.8%. Let's keep going to get EVERYONE counted. Please go online or call today. Please ask your friends and family if they have completed the census (only one per household is needed). Thank you!
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Thank you to our D12 Senior Affairs Commissioner, Zelene Lovitt for her work to advocate and serve the seniors in the City of Dallas. Click
here to read the latest newsletter from the Office of Community Care's Senior Services.
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Child Abuse & Family Violence
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Did you know that more than 25% of the reports of child abuse in Texas come from teachers, child care workers, and professionals from community-based organizations? Every adult in Texas is a mandatory reporter of abuse. If you suspect a child is in danger, please call 1-800-252-5400.
If you are facing family violence in your home, please know there are resources to help. For immediate issues, call 911. To talk directly to professional staff, call The Family Place at (214) 941-1991.
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Do You Live in University Place?
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If you are an owner of a home in University Place, there is an opportunity to serve on a special board that meets just a couple of times a year. This board will have an important role in developing an area of South Dallas and will allocate dollars to improvements in University Place. If you are interested, please contact me at the email below.
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Coffee with Cara and Drop-In Hours in the District have been on hold as we all do our best to stay home. Are you ready to try something new? We're setting up a couple of dates and times for you to ask questions, give input or just listen in to what neighbors in the community are talking about. If you'd like to join in, please call or email Navaz or Elysia at my phone number and email below and they will share the schedule with you and get you set up.
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Need help, got a question, or want to give input?
Email: Cara.Mendelsohn@DallasCityHall.com
Office phone: (214) 670-4067
Text phone: (214) 490-1036
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