By K.D. Norris
The Grand Rapids Area Mutual Aid Network was formed recently in response to the COVID-19 crisis to offer direct neighbor-to-neighbor help to “neighbors in need” in the Grand Rapids area, specifically the cities of Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Wyoming, and Walker.
Grand Rapids Area Mutual Aid Network (GRAMAN) spokesperson Raina Cook told WKTV the group’s initial focus was to “provide grocery deliveries to households every day and provide financial assistance to marginalized people.”
But the group also recently joined a statewide effort to advocate for renters in COVID-19 financial hardship, and also joined the new local La Luncha fund to support “under-documented” and “mixed-status” families who are Kent County residents — an effort which has already gained financial backing from the Grand Rapids Community Foundation.
“GRAMAN is made up of volunteers who feel pulled to help members of the community who are struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 crisis,” Cook said to WKTV. “Our giving circle is comprised of marginalized individuals who make decisions as to who we are able to give financial assistance to. This ensures that groups who have been affected by social disparities are prioritized.
“As a group of neighbors helping neighbors rather than a non-profit entity, we rely solely on contributions from the community and volunteer efforts. To date we have received over $50,000 in contributions that will go directly back to the community.”
Cook said Wyoming and Kentwood residents who want to request assistance can do so by filling out a form at tinyurl.com/GRAMAN-Financial.
Cook added that before filling out the form, they are asking people to check to make sure whether someone in your household has already done so.
“If you have already completed this form, regardless of what was requested or offered, you do not need to fill it out again. If you have already been in contact with a member of our team, please reach out to them,” according to GRAMAN. “Due to the high volume of requests we are currently receiving, it may take a few days for us to get in touch with you. In the meantime, we suggest checking out this list of resources we’ve compiled” at tinyurl.com/GR-Resources.
Working with La Lucha fund
In late April, eight community organizations, also acting in response to COVID-19, established the La Lucha Fund, a fund that will grant short-term emergency aid to undocumented, under-documented and mixed-status families in Kent County — families who are not eligible for unemployment, CARES Act relief or other government support.
“La lucha” means “the struggle” or “the fight” in Spanish.
The La Lucha Fund is a collaboration between Movimiento Cosecha, the Grand Rapids Area Mutual Aid Network, the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan, the Latino Community Coalition, Latina Network of West Michigan, West Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and West Michigan Latino Network.
“We developed a partnership when La Lucha fund started in order to address the needs of thousands of under-documented folks in the Greater Grand Rapids area,” Cook said. “We had already been taking and meeting requests for groceries and cash for the under-documented — the folks working on La Lucha fund consulted with us and built off of our systems to create the system for La Lucha fund.”
Working to support renters under financial stress
Also in late April, a Michigan statewide group including Detroit Renter City, Grand Rapids Area Mutual Aid Network, Together We Are Safe, Lansing Tenants Union, Greater Kalamazoo Area Renters Union, and No Rent MI called upon Lansing leaders to consider the suspension of rent, the extension of the moratorium on evictions, and a moratorium on all utility shut-offs.
“This grassroots coalition of tenant organizations are seeking to highlight the precarious situation that Michigan tenants find themselves in and the failure of the State to seriously address the looming housing and public health crisis in the age of COVID-19,” a press release from the group stated.
“We are working … to advocate for renter protections during the COVID-19 crisis and recovery period,” Cook said. “GRAMAN has aligned itself with these groups because we share the same goals in regards to making sure people are able to stay in their homes when so many other things are uncertain.”
The focus of the action is persons unable to afford rent — and facing homelessness — due to a slow unemployment filing process and the inability to gain assistance from other government programs. According to other media reports, Michigan unemployment claims have passed 1.2 million, with 81,000 new unemployment claims the last week of April.
In an earlier statement, Cook said “in Grand Rapids, landlords have been pressuring tenants to pay their rent and threatening them despite the current eviction moratorium” in Michigan.
“There is a statewide moratorium on evictions through May 15, but that is not sufficient,” Cook said to WKTV. “Undocumented individuals, for example, are not eligible for the stimulus payment. Many Michigan residents have been unable to receive unemployment benefits, as the unemployment agency is seriously overwhelmed. People are struggling to feed their families right now, and a rent freeze would give them some relief during this unprecedented crisis.”
Cook said GRAMAN is currently compiling information from renters with the goal of building a tenants union that would help renters support one another. She said Grand Rapids area renters can fill out a form to aid in that effort at tinyurl.com/twastenantsupport.
Additionally, No Rent Michigan is calling for the immediate suspension of rent collection and elimination of past-due rent as well as an extension of the eviction moratorium to 60 days after the end of the current state of emergency, as well as a moratorium on utility shutoffs, Cook said. And there is a petition is circulating to urge state lawmakers to enact these measures at https://tinyurl.com/mipetition.
How to get involved with GRAMAN
For more information about the Grand Rapids Area Mutual Aid Network, or to get more involved, persons can email the group at grmutualaid@gmail.com — and they say they would “especially love help with intake and coordination.” Also, donations to the mutual aid fund can be made at tinyurl.com/GGRMutualAid.
