Coronavirus in DFW - News & Discussion (Houston, Dallas: cheapest, nursing home)

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by RJ312

I am unable to identify with that scenario. I've always been a renter and I have always rented from corporate owned apartment complexes. I have not rented from individual owners because I perceive greater risk in that.

So you would screw over the Homeowner and his family who had a Mortgage and pays his taxes so you could live in the home free of charge for a year.

That's not helping the little guy.

[CDContribuitor]

From: "Johnson, Eric" <eric.johnson@dallascityhall.com>
Subject: City of Dallas COVID-19 Update: April 8
Date: April 8, 2020 at 11:37:14 PM CDT

Dear Friend —


The City of Dallas received some good news today: our federal partners plan to extend support for the COVID-19 Community Based Testing Sites (CBTS) in Dallas through May 30, 2020. These sites are open to the public for COVID-19 testing. More information about this piece of good news can be found below.


I also wanted to share with you that the City of Dallas will close its parks during Easter weekend to prevent the spread of COVID-19. More information about the decision can be found here. I will be holding a press conference at 10 am tomorrow to give an update on this and other COVID-19 related matters. The press conference will be shown here.


Below are the latest updates from the City of Dallas on our COVID-19 response and information on some resources that might be of interest to you or someone you know:


Positive Cases of COVID-19 in North Texas


1,324 in Dallas County – 63 newly confirmed today
588 in Tarrant County
398 in Denton County
378 in Collin County
45 in Ellis County
19 in Kaufman County
15 in Rockwall County


Hospital Reports


Below are the bed and ventilator capacity totals for Tuesday, as reported by twenty-four hospitals in the City of Dallas pursuant to the order issued last week:


Total beds: 5,349
Beds occupied: 2,854 (53%)
Total ICU beds: 782
ICU beds occupied: 488 (62%)
Total ventilators: 901
Ventilators in use: 313 (35%)


My office is currently working with the University of Texas at Dallas’ Institute for Urban Policy Research to analyze the data that has been collected from hospitals and other COVID-19-related data. More information will be shared once it becomes available.


Lab Reports


As of 5:00 p.m. the City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management has received a report from ten labs. Below are the numbers for today, Wednesday, April 8, 2020:


435 COVID-19 tests
55 positive
361 negative


Testing numbers from labs to date


Total tests to date by Dallas County Health and Human Services
962
Total tests to date private labs*
5,347
Total negative tests to date*
5,137
Total active cases
1,324
Total deaths
20
Total tests to date by DCHHS
962
*Numbers since March 13, 2020, the date the order I issue requiring public and private labs in Dallas to report their COVID-19 tests went into effect


Community Based Testing Sites


The numbers reported from the two community-based testing sites for April 7 are as follows:


American Airlines Center

Ellis Davis Field House

Total number of visitors: 332

Total number of visitors: 168

Total tested: 206

Total tested: 124



311 COVID-19 Call and Service Report (SR) Data


Data Set
Value
Notes
New 311 COVID-19 Calls Received Today
61


Total 311 COVID-19 Calls Received to Date
3,509
Since March 13, 2020
New Emergency Regulations SRs Received Today (General)
890


Total Emergency Regulations SRs Received to Date (General)
9,325
Since March 17, 2020
New Emergency Regulations SRs Received Today (Parks only)
38


Total Emergency Regulations SRs Received to Date (Parks only)
289
Since March 20, 2020


City Operations


The City received notification today that its federal partners plan to extend support for the COVID-19 Community Based Testing Sites (CBTS) in Dallas through May 30, 2020.
DPD confirmed a seventh officer and a communications dispatcher tested positive for COVID-19.
The Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) continues their operations of a temporary, overnight shelter at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (KBHCC). Last night the KBHCC housed 280 overnight guests.
OHS is also utilizing hotel rooms to house persons in need of quarantine or persons on the “priority housing” list. Last night 98 people received shelter at local hotels.
Here are links to the latest FAQ documents regarding essential businesses for the stay-at-home orders: English & Spanish


Updates from Dallas County


Today Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) reported 63 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 1,324.
DCHHS reported the 20th death from COVID-19 was a Rowlett resident with underlying high-risk health conditions.
Of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization, about three-quarters have been either over 60 years of age or have had at least one known high-risk chronic health condition.
Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition in over a quarter of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19.


Updates from the State


The State continues to see an increase in private testing sites, such as Walgreens, who has announced it will provide drive through testing applicators from Abbott Labs with a 15-minute testing applicator that can administer up to 3,000 tests per day.
An Executive Order was issued April 7 waiving requirements of job capacities for pharmacy techs and pharmacy interns to help increase workforce capabilities. Under the Governor's waiver, pharmacy technicians can now accept prescription drug orders over the phone — a responsibility typically reserved for pharmacists.
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has reported the largest spike in calls ever on March 26 with 1.7 million calls. The line averages 120,000 calls a day. And has processed 600,000 claims so far and will have processed more claims during the week of March 26, 2020, then it did in all of 2019.
TWC is urging workers who were denied before to continue to apply for unemployment as there are more federal dollars flowing that could affect those previously denied.
Information about how to file unemployment and how to reach TWC can be found in the Residents Resource Guide below.


COVID-19 Email Scams


According to the Dallas Regional Chamber, email phishing scams and spam increased by 667 percent in the first three weeks of March, including 9,116 emails related to COVID-19. Here are their five best practices for cyber security, including how to best report and respond to cyberattacks.


Wrongful Eviction Assistance


Dallas County established a tenant helpline for tenants who have been evicted despite the order or who are pending eviction. Before reaching out residents are advised of the following:
Tenants engaged in criminal activity or causing an imminent threat to health and safety may be subject to eviction prior to the aforementioned date.
Tenants maintain responsibility for paying their rent.
Tenants are encouraged to contact their landlord and make sure they are aware when eviction moratoriums are in place.
When having difficulty paying rent, tenants should attempt to make payments and/or establish a payment schedule with their landlord.


Information about the initial order suspending evictions, is available in English and Spanish at: https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-1...nt-hotline.php
Email: Tenanthotline@dallascounty.org | Call: 214-653-6563 or 833-743-0072*
*Please note the hotline calls are being monitored by the Dallas County Unincorporated Services Department (in case callers receive their voicemail).


Additionally, here are some frequently asked questions about the orders halting evictions that are in effect in the City of Dallas: Spanish and English.


Food Assistance Needed


Dallas County and the North Texas Food Bank have announced they are launching a virtual food bank. This will help to fill in the gaps created by a lack of state and federal funding for food access. Donations instead of food are being encouraged and can be made by visiting Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Ways to Help or http://ntfb.org/give. This link has more information on the program.

Dallas Resident Resource Guides

There are a number of resources available to residents and businesses impacted by the emergency regulations that have been put in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. The City of Dallas has created a Resident Resource Guide with information on:

Rental assistance;
Filing for unemployment;
Connecting displaced workers to jobs;
Food assistance;
Help paying utilities (note: most utility disconnections have been halted during this time);
Mental health resources;
Business loan information; and
Other key resources.

The guide is available in both English and Spanish:
Dallas Residents Resource Guide
COVID-19 Guia de Recursos para Residentes 3 de Abril

Childcare for Essential Workers

Frontline Child Care provides information on childcare options for Dallas’ frontline workers. The site was launched by Governor Greg Abbott and various state agencies to make sure those still working through this pandemic have access to childcare. Check out the site here.

Dallas Regional Chamber Resources

The Dallas Regional Chamber has set up a site for additional resources for residents and businesses, including information on various state and federal programs. Check out their resource guide here and their site to connect displaced workers to employment opportunities during the pandemic here.

United Way Income Resource Guides

United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has put together a list of resources available to Dallas area residents in English and Spanish. Resources include the North Texas Food Bank’s open food pantries, tax filing information, and job opportunities.

Senior Source Resources

This is the link to the Senior Source’s COVID-19 resource guide. The guide includes information for seniors, including information on specific grocery store hours dedicated to seniors, and guidance for those who are caring for seniors during the pandemic.

If you have more questions about COVID-19, including what you should do if you believe you might have the virus, check out the City's web page, City of Dallas : Coronavirus (COVID-19). Additionally, I frequently share COVID-19 updates as they happen on Twitter and Facebook.

Please share this update. The official page to sign up to receive this newsletter and the other newsletters I send out is here.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay informed.

Sincerely,

Eric Johnson
Mayor
City of Dallas
eric.johnson@dallascityhall.com
(214) 670-3301

[TexanByMarriage]

Originally Posted by Rakin

So you would screw over the Homeowner and his family who had a Mortgage and pays his taxes so you could live in the home free of charge for a year.

That's not helping the little guy.

He's clearly referring to a scenario where you're renting from a company, and there naturally would be less affect on their sheets if they do not collect rent. I landlord in Bronx with approx 80 rental units just cancelled all rent payments for April for his tenants - so it IS possible.

In your scenario it's probably on both parties' interest to work together, and it shouldn't be very complicated with only two parties involved.

[Gree Mountain]

Originally Posted by Rakin

If you were renting out your house and had a Mortgage, could you go 6-12 months with a Tenant who did not pay their rent ?

You could afford to absorb $20-40,000 in property taxes, Insurance and Mortgage payments?

This concern ignores an alternative policy solution. The federal government could debt finance this segment of the housing economy until the virus is under control. Landlords would not lose rent income, states would not lose property tax income, and tenants wouldn't become homeless. Local economies in places like Dallas will be much better off in the long run if the federal government backstops them over the next six to twelve months.

[RJ312]

Originally Posted by RJ312

I've always been a renter and I have always rented from corporate owned apartment complexes. I have not rented from individual owners because I perceive greater risk in that.

While my apartment complex sent a notice to tenants about rent payments that was more subdued in tone than this message sent out by a Las Vegas apartment complex, it had the same underlying message.

I care more about the little person. The landlord is not the little person. The little person lost 100% of their income. The landlord did not.

Originally Posted by TexanByMarriage

He's clearly referring to a scenario where you're renting from a company, and there naturally would be less affect on their sheets if they do not collect rent. I landlord in Bronx with approx 80 rental units just cancelled all rent payments for April for his tenants - so it IS possible.

In your scenario it's probably on both parties' interest to work together, and it shouldn't be very complicated with only two parties involved.

There are upsides and downsides renting from a corporate entity as compared to an individual.

As a renter of apartment units from a corporate entities, I am more shielded from the owner's individual financial problems. I have also felt that it is more organized than renting from an individual. A lot of people rent from individual owners. That tends to be the case more when people rent single family homes as compared to renting multifamily units as I have done.

In this time of pandemic and Great Depression style job losses, the corporate multifamily property owners are taking a "Skrew You, Pay Me!" attitude towards their tenants. I have seen it with my own complex and stories abound on the internet of this behavior. The tenant is generally getting screwed here. As a result, tenants have no goodwill towards their landlords. Tenants have lost a larger percentage of their incomes than multifamily operators have. The landlord is more able to absorb a financial across thousands of units. This is why I think tenants should get up to one year of rent relief, which is often how long it can take to replace a job.

In general, even in individual to individual renting scenarios, I side more with the tenant and I favor long moratoriums on evictions and/or rent relief/forgiveness. The landlord usually has a day job and other income streams.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Had a video group meeting with a large lender today, lot of changes. No loans below a FICO score of 620, Interest rates actually going up due to the risks now in the business, Job verification a day or 2 before closing.

Reminds me of 2008. Sort of.

If you do not need to defer your Payment, you are better off not doing so. It will come due in 90-120 days and is not written off or extended.

I have a feeling there will be hard .gov intervention in this specific area very quickly. I'm going to be cryptic but I'm very wired into the banking industry - a board call this morning as a matter of fact.

There is overwhelming evidence of pricing collusion, via artificially high interest rate spreads (borrow on one side for nearly nothing or literally nothing sometimes because of Federal Reserve and Treasury Department largesse and demand rates that are not congruent with the former on a near industry wide basis from customers).

Expect to see companies in the mortgage business and some banks get hit hard for this. The .gov is attempting to get money into the system by encouraging more loans.............these efforts were not put in place to allow mortgage intermediaries guaranteed higher profits.

Our outside legal lady used the phrase, "infinite legal peril." It's one thing to keep the books strong, it's entirely another to tacitly collude with other lenders to profiteer from .gov action.

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by Gree Mountain

This concern ignores an alternative policy solution. The federal government could debt finance this segment of the housing economy until the virus is under control. Landlords would not lose rent income, states would not lose property tax income, and tenants wouldn't become homeless. Local economies in places like Dallas will be much better off in the long run if the federal government backstops them over the next six to twelve months.

There's not enough money in the Federal Govt to support all the Past due Tenants, Landlords, Mortgages, Property Taxes, for 12 months plus Unemployment Compensation and all the Business loans they are trying to funnel to small business.

Talk about a Financial Crisis.

[Capitalprophets]

Well if the corporations and elite were taxed without loopholes this wouldn't be happening. Maybe it's long due coming for them.

[EDS_]

Clay Jenkins nearly fumbles the ball out the back of the end-zone. This would have been a categorical disaster.



https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/e...ter-heres-how/

[TheOverdog]

This is seriously the stupidest fight ever. Hospitals in Dallas are barely at 50%, why on earth would they be moving patients to a makeshift hospital in the convention center before its even needed? Why on earth would the Feds, the incompetent Major, or Abbott think we would? It was always overflow and going to be empty through most of the crisis, until overflow is needed.


If you think that is Jenkins fault or that they should be moving patients in now, then I don't know what to say.