Rent/mortgage and utility assistance is available to Decatur residents impacted by COVID-19

The City of Decatur in partnership with Dove Financial Assistance is providing rent/mortgage and utility assistance to residents that have experienced loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Assistance is provided in the form of a grant paid directly to the landlord, mortgage company, and/or utility.  More information can be found at the following link: City of Decatur and Dove partnership to assist residents with COVID Relief - City of Decatur, IL

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE INCREASES IN DECEMBER

Data released from the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) shows that the unemployment rate in Decatur increased from a revised 9.4% in November to 9.6% in December.  The unemployment rate was 4.6% in March and increased to 17.2% at its peak in April.  The city’s November unemployment rate is 28% above the state’s unemployment rate of 7.5% and 48% above the U.S. unemployment rate of 6.5% (not seasonally adjusted).  The number of employed individuals in Decatur decreased by 610 from a revised 27,827 in November to 27,217 in December.  The number of employed individuals in December was 1,959 fewer than in February 2020 when there were 29,176 employed. 

The city continues to be experiencing among the lowest number of employed individuals in at least 45 years.  Using annual data from the IDES between 1974-2019, the number of employed individuals ranged from 40,932 in 1977 to 29,979 in 2019. 

JOB LISTINGS IN THE DECATUR AREA DECREASED 9% FROM NOVEMBER TO DECEMBER

As a measure of job availability, the City of Decatur’s Economic and Community Development Department records the number of job listings in the Decatur area as reported by Indeed.com. The number of jobs available decreased from 995 listings in November to 909 listings in December.  By comparison, there were 1,385 job listings in the February report, a decrease of 34% in job listings over a ten-month period.  With 2,877 unemployed individuals in Decatur in December (there were 1,420 in March), there are not enough jobs available for job seekers. 

PLEASE EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS.  CITIZENS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS

If you would like to discuss this or any other issue with a city council member, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for each council member can be found at the following link: https://www.decaturil.gov/mayor-and-council/council/.