Top eight ways to spend $1 million in Flint announced by Mott Foundation

Demolishing vacant houses, setting up youth jobs for neighborhood cleanup, assistance for home repairs, and beautification efforts topped the tally of how to spend $1 million the C.S. Mott Foundation money has set aside to strengthen neighborhoods, according to a press release from the Foundation issued today.

Several months ago the Foundation invited residents to suggest how to spend $1 million and pledged to fund the projects most favored. Based on estimates of how much each project will cost, the Foundation will move to fund the top seven and partially fund an eighth.

“You told us what was important to you, and we’re eager to get money into Flint neighborhoods to support your priorities,” read the statement to residents in today’s announcement.

The top eight projects, with the number of votes for each one and the estimated cost are listed below:

  1. Demolish vacant houses that are beyond repair.
    235 votes | $150,553
  2. Hire young people to assist with neighborhood cleanups and beautification.
    215 votes | $109,860
  3. Offer a home improvement loan/grant fund for home repairs and upgrades.
    197 votes | $161,878
  4. Take down properties that have been burned.
    193 votes | $139,378
  5. Demolish homes listed on the City’s Property Portal that are designated as needing demolition but currently no funds are available.
    184 votes | $158,098
  6. Offer a home repair program for seniors who want to stay in their homes but are unable to do minor repairs themselves.
    160 votes | $121,406
  7. Place dumpsters throughout the city during designated times of the year (e.g., spring cleaning and fall winterizing).
    156 votes | $82,147
  8. Build upon the City’s Blight Elimination Task Force.
    146 votes | $139,966

The Mott Foundation will fund the top seven projects, along with $76,680 toward the eighth project, to equal $1 million.

A complete list of how each of the 70 projects ranked is available here.

Next steps include “reaching out to local nonprofit organizations that could potentially tackle the eight projects,” the press release said, adding, “We will report back to the community on which nonprofits received grants to complete the work.”

More information on the Focus on Flint initiative is available at focusonflint.org/updates.

–EVM Staff from a C.S Mott Foundation press release.

Author: East Village Magazine

A Non-profit, Community News Magazine Since 1976

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