Masks are required in all indoor public settings, including bars and restaurants, gyms, common areas of condos and multi-residential buildings, and private clubs. Similar to previous mask mandates, masks can be removed at restaurants, bars, and other eating/drinking establishments by patrons when they are actively eating and drinking. Masks also remain mandatory on public transportation, in healthcare settings, schools, and correctional and congregate settings. The new public health order does not include capacity limits at public places, and masking remains optional in outdoor settings, where the risk of COVID-19 transmission is lower.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, about 60% of all eligible Illinois residents have now been fully vaccinated. As Dr. Arwady outlined in her statement, the unvaccinated are at a much greater risk of contracting the virus and having more severe symptoms.
Find the latest Chicago Department of Public Health Guidelines here.
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Back to School Vaccinations
With the beginning of the new school year coming up, the Chicago Public Schools have compiled a resource page with information on where to get your child vaccinated. If your child is 12 years of age or older, you should get them vaccinated to help keep them safe as schools reopen this fall.
At Home Vaccinations and Prizes
The Chicago Department of Public Health has expanded the capacity of their Protect Chicago At Home vaccination program. As of August 2, anyone vaccinated at home through this program can receive either a $50 Grubhub gift card or a $25 Visa gift card. Anyone age 12 and up is eligible to receive a vaccine and you may choose between Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson. Call (312) 746-4835 to make an appointment or register here.
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Back to School Supply Drive |
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Our office is hosting our annual Back to School Supply Drive to help families and students in our community prepare for the upcoming school year. After the trying year our students have had we are excited to provide them with the support to kick start their school year. You can drop off school supplies now until August 20 at our office 5533 N. Broadway from Monday-Friday, 9am - 5pm or at a variety of local businesses around the district. See the attached flyer for more drop-off locations and hours.
Supplies will be distributed at our Back to School Celebration on Wednesday, August 25, 5-7pm, at Senn High School on the lawn.
For more information, view our flyer below or contact our office.
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Illinois Unclaimed Property |
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The State Treasurer's unclaimed property program, also known as I-Cash, safeguards more than 15 million properties valued roughly at $3.5 billion, working to reunite each with its rightful owner. The State Treasurer currently holds more than 3.5 billion dollars in unclaimed funds for Illinoisans. The State holds these lost funds until they are claimed by either the original owner or their heirs. Property is returned at no cost with the proper identification.
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Before summer ends we'd like to take a moment to shine a spotlight on all the hard work our neighbors have put into their parkways. Did you plant a beautiful parkway or corner? Do you have a neighbor who planted a beautiful parkway or corner? Let's recognize the work that our neighbors have done to beautify our neighborhoods! And please, let’s use this opportunity to highlight our fellow gardeners, not the work of professional landscapers.
Submit your photo using this form by Thursday, September 2. Voting will take place Friday, September 3 - Sunday, September 12 on a separate form that will be launched in our newsletter that Friday and on our social media platforms. There will be two categories for prize winners: residential homes and condos/businesses. The winner of each category will be announced Monday, September 13.
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Back to Business Grant Program |
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The $250 million Back to Business (B2B) grant program opens today! This program aims to deploy small businesses recovery grants for those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. The B2B grant program builds on the success of last year's Business Interruption Grant (BIG) program – an equity focused business relief program, which directed $290 million to 9,000 businesses in 98 communities across Illinois. B2B is a key component of the Governor’s $1.5 billion economic recovery plan, aimed toward equitable deployment of American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds that have been designated for Illinois to assist in recovery from the COVID pandemic.
Funding available:
- $250 million to small businesses across the state that experienced losses in 2020 due to COVID-19, including the following set-asides.
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$100 million – Businesses located in Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs).
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$30 million – Arts and Entertainment businesses that didn’t receive Shuttered Venue Operators grants
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$25 million – Restaurants and taverns that didn’t receive the Restaurant Revitalization Fund
- $25 million – Hotels
- $25 million – Businesses that didn’t receive a BIG grant due to exhaustion of funds
- Grants will range from $5,000 to $150,000 per business and can be used to cover a wide range of operations/staff/overhead costs
- Up to $250,000 for hotels
Eligibility requirements:
- Businesses with revenues of $20 million or less in 2019 and a reduction in revenue in 2020 due to COVID-19
- $35 million or less for hotels
- Priority will be given to the following categories:
- Hard-hit industries
- Hard-hit areas – DIAs comprising of 176 zip codes
- Businesses who have yet to qualify for state funding or federal assistance (including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF), business Interruption Grant (BIG), Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG), and more)
- Businesses that had less than $5 million in revenue in 2019
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Learn about eligibility guidelines
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Eligibility guidelines also available in: Spanish, Polish, Chinese, Hindi, and Arabic
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Upon receiving an award, all grantees will need to sign the program Certification Agreement.
How to apply:
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The Application Portal is now open here!
- Applications can be tracked in real-time
- Allies for Community Business (A4CB), DCEO's grant administrator, is now accepting applications.
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Prepare for the application process early by learning about the information and documentation required
- Documentation needed:
- Business owner ID (ITIN business owners eligible)
- Business’s 2019 AND 2020 Federal tax returns
- Two (2) business bank statements – one from the period April through December 2020, and most recent statement
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There are over 100 community navigators providing 1:1 regional support service for small businesses. Find your community outreach partner including navigators, SBDCs, as well as DCEO Support Teams with the B2B search tool or view the list by name, county, or language service.
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Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant Program
The Tourism Attraction and Festivals Grant program is meant to help develop new or enhance existing tourism attractions located across the state – including but not limited to museums, businesses, events, performances, and festivals. The funds may be utilized for capital projects, equipment, training, transportation, housing, receptions, entertainment, photography, temporary housing, and interpretive programs. The goal of the program is to attract additional visitors and overnight stays that will bring foot traffic back in communities across Illinois.
Potential Applicants: Units of local government, municipalities, counties, not-for-profit and for-profit organizations, or local promotions groups.
How Much: $10 million total: minimum grant size of $10,000 and maximum grant being $1 million. Match required.
Deadline: Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are depleted with awards made quarterly. DCEO will have the ability to fund applications most closely aligned to eligibility criteria approved for immediate funding.
For more information and to apply, please click here.
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Eviction Moratorium Updates |
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The federal government has extended the eviction moratorium through October 3rd. If you are a renter making less than $99,000 or a married couple making less than $198,000 and eviction would result in homelessness or shared housing, you are protected under the moratorium and you cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent through October 3rd.
- The federal CDC moratorium, effective August 3, prevents execution of eviction orders of covered persons by law enforcement, but does not prevent eviction cases proceeding in court or courts entering judgments against tenants. The CDC moratorium is in effect through October 3.
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The CDC moratorium protects renters living in communities experiencing substantial or high transmission of COVID-19. In Illinois, as of August 3, this was all 102 counties except for 5. Get the data at https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/.
- The State of Illinois tenant declaration form is substantially similar to the CDC declaration form, but to ensure their protection, tenants should provide their landlord with a signed version of the CDC form if they can attest they cannot pay their full rent and meet the other requirements of being a covered person.
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The text of CDC Moratorium and Declaration form are available at https://bit.ly/CDCEvictionOct3.
The moratorium does not waive rent due, so residents can seek out City and State resources for rent assistance.
The Illinois Human Services Department has funds available for housing assistance. Those applications are open and details on eligibility can be found here.
The Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Chicago is also offering a Mortgage Assistance Program to provide assistance to low to moderate-income homeowners who have suffered an economic impact due to the pandemic and are having difficulty paying their mortgage. The maximum amount of assistance available is $3,300.
To be eligible for this assistance, you must:
- Be a resident of the City of Chicago.
- Live in the home (single family up to 4 units) for which you are applying for assistance. It must be your primary place of residence.
- Demonstrate your total household income was 120% or below the Area Median Income (AMI) prior to March 1, 2020.
- Have a mortgage on your home that was current as of 3/1/2020 and is now delinquent. You may be on a forbearance plan.
- Have experienced a change in your financial status after 3/1/2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis.
- Be 18 years of age or over, or be a financially independent minor.
The Cook County Legal Aid for Housing and Debt Program offers mediation in order for landlords and tenants to avoid eviction. The program also offers free counseling, case management, and connections to resources for housing and debt issues. Landlords and tenants alike can apply for up to $25,000 per case for unpaid rent.
You can take advantage of these services if:
- You are a renter and your landlord is trying to evict you
- You are a landlord who is not represented by a lawyer
- You are a homeowner who has fallen behind on your mortgage payments or property taxes
- You were sued by someone who wants to collect an unpaid debt (for example a credit card company trying to collect unpaid charges)
- You need to sue someone who owes you money and do not have a lawyer.
For more information and to apply visit here or call 866-454-3571.
Please be mindful that this is a developing issue and changes and updates are to expected. We will be sure to continue to keep you updated on any changes or assistance program applications that become open again. You can find the latest news on the Chicago Department of Housing's Twitter account (@ChicagoDOH) and at Chicago.gov/Eviction.
Those in need of housing assistance should also see the list of free resources below:
Tel: 773-292-4988
Monday-Friday, 1-5pm
Northside Community Resources
Tel: 773-338-7722
Website: www.northsidecommunityresources.org
City of Chicago Homelessness Services
The Rentervention Hotline
Tel: 312.347.7600
Website: rentervention.com
Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing
Tel: 312.347.7600
Illinois Legal Aid Online
Metropolitan Tenants Organization
Tel: 773.292.4988
Illinois 2-1-1
Tel: 2-1-1
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If you received a PPP Loan of $150,000 or less, the PPP Direct Forgiveness Portal is now open to apply for forgiveness directly through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
You can visit the portal here or you can call (877) 552-2692 for assistance or questions.
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49th Ward Tax Appeal Workshop |
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I am excited to be co-sponsoring an event with the Cook County Board of Review. Come join us for a workshop about how to appeal your property tax assessment. The workshop will take place September 1 at 6pm at Chicago Math and Science Academy. Face masks will be required when indoors. For more information, please see the flyer below. |
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Upcoming Events in the District |
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Tree House Society's Third Annual Cat Walk
Local restaurants and bars are celebrating Tree House Humane Society's 50th Anniversary with their annual Cat Walk. During this Malt Row bar crawl, you learn more about beer, cats, and their mission. There will be games, activities, and specialty brews partner breweries. Cat Walk will be held on Saturday, August 21st from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest
I am excited to be a sponsor of the annual Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest in Rogers Park. Come visit us at our our booth on Friday, August 20 through Sunday, August 22.
To learn more visit their website here.
Edgewater Arts Festival
I am also excited to again sponsor the annual Edgewater Arts Festival where we can celebrate local artists and businesses. Come chat with us on Saturday, August 28 or Sunday, August 29.
To learn more about the festival visit their website here.
Edgewater Annual Yard and Sidewalk Sale
You can now register for the Annual Yard and Sidewalk Sale. This event will take place September 25th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For participating residents, there is a $10 registration fee that covers all promotions of sale and contribution to your block club.
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Pitch in for the Parks - Rogers Park Clean Up Event |
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The Chicago Parks Foundation is hosting a Pitch in for the Parks event at Prinz Beach and Loyola Beach. Community volunteers will be provided with supplies and support to safely pick up litter and clean the park’s green spaces. The event is free to participate in and family friendly.
Meeting Location: End of Pratt Blvd & Prinz Beach – by the big stone sculpture - roughly 1062 Pratt Blvd.
How it works:
1. Register to volunteer on the dates and times of your choice and complete the volunteer waiver in your registration.
2. Follow safety protocols such as:
- wearing a face mask (supplies are limited, please bring your own)
- sticking to a group of fifty (50) people or less and consciously practicing social distancing
- wearing protective gloves (provided) and avoiding hazardous materials like glass, needles and germs
Dates are available in September and October. For more information, visit here.
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Illinois Department of Transportation is Hiring |
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Sincerely,
Kelly Cassidy
State Representative, 14th District
Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy
5533 N Broadway
Chicago IL 60640
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773-784-2002(phone)
773-784-2060(fax)
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