Gaming Board Still Behind Schedule in Awarding South Suburban Casino License
State Rep. Anthony DeLuca D-Chicago Heights continues to demand that Southland is made a priority for the proposed south suburban casino.
DeLuca sent another letter to the Illinois Gaming Board earlier this month, asking the board to move forward with the process of vetting applicants and conducting background checks. He also wrote the board in August to express dismay about delays.
Kristi DeLaurentiis, executive director of the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, co-signed the letter to the gaming board. Communities are struggling due to diminished revenues because of the pandemic and look forward to using tax revenue from the casino to fund improvements, she said. Read more.
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Dr. Ezike, Director of the IDPH, Presents at Virtual Town Hall Meeting for South Suburban Residents
South Suburban College of Business & Career Institute, along with the South Suburban Small Business Association and SCORE presented a virtual Town Hall Meeting with Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, on Tuesday, March 23rd.
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COVID-19 Housing Resources
The Cook County Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) Program deadline is approaching. Applications are open until April 2, 2021. Learn more and apply.
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The South Suburban Housing Center (SSHC) is offering assistance to south suburban residents in need of help paying utilities and rent due to COVID-19.
The Preservation Compact maintains a list of housing-related COVID-19 resources.
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Municipalities can share the information with building owners and tenants. Find it here.
COVID-19 Data Dashboard
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A brief tutorial on how to use the latest dashboard feature, SSMMA's demographic analyses by community, is available here.
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If you'd like more information on the dashboard, or a one-on-one walk-through of its features and how to use them, please contact Kai Funahashi at kai.funahashi@ssmma.org.
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Cook County initiative aims to boost COVID-19 vaccine rates in several south suburbs
Health officials have identified several south suburban communities where vaccination rates are lagging.
Southland communities that are part of the most recent initiative include Blue Island, Calumet Park, Chicago Heights, Dixmoor, Dolton, Markham, Posen, Riverdale, and Robbins. Learn more.
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Upcoming Meetings and Events |
SSMMA's 2021 meeting calendar is now available, click here to view.
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News from our Community Partners |
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The U.S. House of Representatives announced that all appropriation deadlines have been moved back. The new deadline for all Community Fund Project grant requests is April 9, 2021. Learn more.
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ComEd Adds $9 Million in Bill Assistance and Extends Payment Plans to help struggling customers. Take advantage of millions in bill-assistance dollars. Learn more.
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The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC) Residental Energy Efficiency & Assistance Programs resource page offers efficiency and emergency assistance tips to help your residents save money and energy during these difficult times. Learn more.
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Help your community virtually celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd with resources from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Earth Day resource page. Learn more.
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Applications are now open for ComEd and Metropolitan Mayors Caucus' Powering Communities Grant Program through March 26. Grants of up to $10,000 are available to support municipal public safety initiatives that enhance the quality of life in cities, villages, and towns in the ComEd region and among MMC member communities. Learn more.
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The South Suburban Housing Center is offering free virtual homebuyer education courses sponsored by CIBC. Participants must complete both courses to receive a certificate of completion. Learn more.
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The Metropolitan Planning Council, in coordination with the Calumet Stormwater Collaborative, is developing the Green Infrastructure Baseline Inventory, a free and publicly available dataset documenting existing green infrastructure (GI) installations in the Calumet region of Illinois. Information about existing GI installations is needed! Learn more.
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The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) is looking for data-collectors. Residents can earn up to $1,400 to help record and map on-the-ground flooding throughout neighborhoods in the south suburbs. Learn more.
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Have something you'd like included in our next newsletter? Email it to news@ssmma.org.
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