Pictured are (left to right)?Oakland County Commissioner Yolanda Smith Charles; Director of White House of Intergovernmental Affairs Tom Perez; Jerome Craft, Southfield homeowner; Gwendolyn Bynum, Oak Park homeowner; Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter; and Oakland County Comissioner Ann Erickson Gault.
Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter welcomed Tom Perez, senior advisor to President Joe Biden, to Oakland County on Monday to see the positive impacts the federal funding through the American Rescue Plan has had on residents.
Perez, the Director of White House of Intergovernmental Affairs, Coulter and local leaders visited the home of Gwendolyn Bynum in Oak Park to see how she was able to make her 70-year-old home more energy efficient. She received a grant for new windows through the Oakland Simple Action for Valuable Energy Savings or SAVES initiative.
She is one of more than 1,000 people who received grants of between $3,000 and $5,000 to make the improvements during the past year. The $5 million investment was so popular that the money was spoken for in less than a week after Oakland SAVES was announced.
“I’d like to thank Director Perez and the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their leadership and the federal dollars that helped us come out of the pandemic even stronger,” said Coulter. “The Oakland SAVES program was just a small portion of the ARPA funding the county received, but it had a huge impact for our residents.”
Bynum, a General Motors retiree, said her windows were so fogged up that she couldn’t see across the street until the Oakland SAVES grant paid for the replacement of 10 windows.
“When you have to scrape up the money for things like insurance and taxes, it’s hard to find the money to make repairs,” she said. “I can only do a little bit at a time, so I love this program.”
Perez visited Oakland County as a part of a two-day tour of ARPA projects across the state.
“Moments of grave crisis are also moments of tremendous opportunity. These are moments that have allowed us to make transformational change,” Perez said of the American Rescue Plan.
“We’re talking about housing stability and making sure when you get in that house, you can stay in that house,” he told Bynum. “These new windows are windows of opportunity and that’s what these investments are about."
The SAVES initiative was among dozens of programs the county implemented with the $244 million in ARPA funding, including:
• Improving and expanding mental health services
• Helping residents get a college degree or certified training
• Increasing the availability of affordable housing in the county
• Providing 3D printers and training to our small manufacturers, helping them become more competitive in a global marketplace.
• Providing resources and coaching for our small businesses
• Expanding and improving parks throughout the county and helping senior centers improve their services and facilities.
"Oakland SAVES is one of the programs that I am incredibly proud of and excited about. Not only does it help us achieve our environmental goals, it permanently puts money in the pockets of people, lowering the cost of living for working families in this county," said David Woodward, Chairman of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.
To see more about the American Rescue plan's impact in Oakland County, go to oakgov.com/arp.
Perez, the Director of White House of Intergovernmental Affairs, Coulter and local leaders visited the home of Gwendolyn Bynum in Oak Park to see how she was able to make her 70-year-old home more energy efficient. She received a grant for new windows through the Oakland Simple Action for Valuable Energy Savings or SAVES initiative.
She is one of more than 1,000 people who received grants of between $3,000 and $5,000 to make the improvements during the past year. The $5 million investment was so popular that the money was spoken for in less than a week after Oakland SAVES was announced.
“I’d like to thank Director Perez and the administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their leadership and the federal dollars that helped us come out of the pandemic even stronger,” said Coulter. “The Oakland SAVES program was just a small portion of the ARPA funding the county received, but it had a huge impact for our residents.”
Bynum, a General Motors retiree, said her windows were so fogged up that she couldn’t see across the street until the Oakland SAVES grant paid for the replacement of 10 windows.
“When you have to scrape up the money for things like insurance and taxes, it’s hard to find the money to make repairs,” she said. “I can only do a little bit at a time, so I love this program.”
Perez visited Oakland County as a part of a two-day tour of ARPA projects across the state.
“Moments of grave crisis are also moments of tremendous opportunity. These are moments that have allowed us to make transformational change,” Perez said of the American Rescue Plan.
“We’re talking about housing stability and making sure when you get in that house, you can stay in that house,” he told Bynum. “These new windows are windows of opportunity and that’s what these investments are about."
The SAVES initiative was among dozens of programs the county implemented with the $244 million in ARPA funding, including:
• Improving and expanding mental health services
• Helping residents get a college degree or certified training
• Increasing the availability of affordable housing in the county
• Providing 3D printers and training to our small manufacturers, helping them become more competitive in a global marketplace.
• Providing resources and coaching for our small businesses
• Expanding and improving parks throughout the county and helping senior centers improve their services and facilities.
"Oakland SAVES is one of the programs that I am incredibly proud of and excited about. Not only does it help us achieve our environmental goals, it permanently puts money in the pockets of people, lowering the cost of living for working families in this county," said David Woodward, Chairman of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.
To see more about the American Rescue plan's impact in Oakland County, go to oakgov.com/arp.
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