The city of Flint is the county seat of Genesee County, Michigan. Flint is an industrial city located 55 miles northwest of Detroit and 50 miles west of Lansing, the State capital. General Motors is the principal employer, providing 43,000 of the area's 46,500 manufacturing jobs. The 1990 census counted 140,761 residents in Flint, a decline of 12,850, or 11 percent, since 1980. This decline coincided with a decrease in automotive jobs at General Motors facilities in the area.

Action Plan

In its Consolidated Plan the city of Flint describes its housing and community development needs and priorities and proposes a 5-year strategy for addressing these needs. For the first year of the plan, Flint is to receive $6.7 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, $1,585,000 in HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) funding, and a $226,000 Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG). This money will be used to finance the 47 housing, community development, and service activities planned for Fiscal Year 1995-96.

Citizen Participation

The city of Flint and Genesee County formed a joint Consolidated Planning Committee in the summer of 1994. The joint committee's first meeting was held on August 30, 1994.

Citizen involvement in the Consolidated Plan process began with a needs hearing, which was advertised in The Flint Journal in September. Information from the hearing was used to help define needs and priorities for the 5-year strategic plan.

Copies of a draft Consolidated Plan were available for review at the main public library and at county and city planning offices during a 30-day public comment period that began on April 1. A second public hearing was held on April 10.

Flint is the central city in the Flint Metropolitan Statistical Area. Four divisions of General Motors (AC Delco, Buick, Cadillac, and Service/Parts) have major operations in Flint. Traditionally, automotive manufacturing has been the city's dominant source of jobs. In 1970, 46.6 percent of the city's resident work force were employed in the manufacturing sector; by 1990 manufacturing employment had slipped to 29.5 percent, offset partially by job gains in retailing, health care, and education.

Double-digit unemployment rates became the norm in Flint during the 1980s and 1990s, as the number of local automotive industry jobs declined. Average unemployment in Flint in 1994 was 13.5 percent, compared to 7.9 for Genesee County and 5.9 percent for the State.

In 1994 the median family income (MFI) for the Genesee County area was estimated at $43,400, up from $41,800 in 1989.

Median household income in Flint in 1989 was $20,176. Of the 54,000 households in the city, about 48 percent have annual incomes of 80 percent or less of the median. Census data reveal the following numbers of low- and moderate-income households:

• Extremely low (0-30 percent of MFI) -- 10,846 households (20 percent).
• Low (31-50 percent of MFI) -- 7,097 households (13 percent).
• Moderate (51-80 percent of MFI) -- 8,153 households (15 percent).
• Middle (81-95 percent of MFI) -- 3,304 households (6 percent).

Racial or ethnic subpopulations in Flint, as tallied by the 1990 census, include:

• White (non-Hispanic) -- 69,788 (49.6 percent).
• African American (non-Hispanic) -- 67,485 (47.9 percent).
• Hispanic (any race) -- 4,014 (2.9 percent).
• Native American (non-Hispanic) -- 1,045 (1.0 percent).
• Asian American and Pacific Islander -- 690 (0.5 percent).
• Other -- 1,753 (1.2 percent).

Between 1980 and 1990, the proportion of minorities in the population increased from 46 percent to 50 percent. However, this percentage increase is more a function of the 12- percent decrease in the total population during this period than of an increase in the actual number of minority residents. A decline in the number of white residents (from 89,647 in 1980 to 69,788 in 1990) is also a factor.

Conditions

Flint has a declining population and high unemployment. Few people migrate to the city because of the lack of employment opportunities. The housing stock, primarily single-family houses, is aging and increasingly rental. Almost half of the city's 54,000 households qualify as low- to moderate-income, with incomes of 80 percent or less of the area median.

Housing Needs

The primary need is rehabilitation of the city's housing stock, both owner- and renter- occupied, to prevent further deterioration of the living units of the city's lower income residents.

Market Conditions

The housing stock of Flint has 58,724 year-round units, according to the 1990 census. Of these 53,894 were occupied, 22,588 by renters and 31,306 by owners. Ownership remains the dominant type of occupancy, with the rate of homeownership at 58 percent in 1990. The trend in Flint, though, is an increasing percentage of renters -- during the 1980s homeownership declined by 18 percent. One reason for the increasing number of renters is that older single-family homes are being divided into smaller rental units.

The 4,830 vacant housing units in Flint equal an overall vacancy rate of 8.2 percent. Depending upon the census tract, the vacancy rate varies from 2.5 to 20 percent. Vacancies are generally higher in the older, lower income areas, which have higher concentrations of rental housing.

An estimated 15,300 of the city's housing units are in "substandard condition," defined as not meeting HUD's Section 8 Housing Quality Standards. Substandard units do not include those needing only cosmetic work or needing only the correction of minor livability or maintenance problems. The number of substandard units is only an estimate, based upon inspections of registered multifamily housing with more than three units, dwellings sold under a mortgage contract, and complaints about units. There was also a "sidewalk survey" of observable outside conditions conducted in 1984-85 by the University of Michigan. Flint has no systematic inspection of all housing.

Housing values in Flint are lower than in many areas; in 1990 the median value of owner- occupied housing was $33,900. However, rental housing costs have more closely paralleled inflation; in 1990 the median gross rent was $375 per month.

Affordable Housing Needs

The lower price of homes and rental units generally helps make housing affordable. The mortgage payment and taxes on a median-price $33,900 home would be only 19 percent of the monthly income of a buyer earning the $20,176 median household income. This is well within the affordability standard of no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing. Based upon 1990 income levels, lower income families and many very low-income families could qualify as homebuyers.

The median monthly rent of $375 would also be affordable. Based on the 30-percent affordability standard, a renter earning the $20,176 median income could pay up to $504 per month for rent and utilities.

Homeless Needs

A survey conducted on January 15, 1995, of organizations serving the homeless produced a count of 238 homeless people, including 26 families with children, who were receiving shelter in the city. However, this survey understates the need for homeless services because it did not count homeless persons who were not in contact with service agencies and who were living in abandoned buildings or on the street. The continuing level of high unemployment and poverty in the area means that homelessness and near homelessness are likely to be ongoing problems.

Subpopulations of the homeless with special needs are estimated as follows:

• 91 (29.1 percent) -- Severe mental illness only.
• 131 (41.9 percent) -- Alcohol/other drug abuse only.
• 6 (1.9 percent) -- Severe mental illness and alcohol/other drug abuse.
• 38 (12.1 percent) -- Domestic violence.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

Flint has 1,248 public housing units in 10 housing communities and 133 scattered sites. As of January 1995, 182 units were vacant. The Flint Housing Commission reports that 1,139 of its units are in standard condition and 109 require rehabilitation. About $2 million in HUD Comprehensive Grant funds will be used for physical and management improvements at seven communities.

As of October 1994, the total number of Section 8-assisted housing units was 2,632, including community-based assistance for 1,253 units -- 759 units for families, 458 for the elderly, and 36 for the disabled. The Flint Housing Commission administers 815 tenant- based Section 8 certificates and vouchers. There are also 564 Section 8 certificates and vouchers in use in the city; these are managed by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA).

Another 414 housing units in Flint are subsidized under other programs, such as HUD's Section 221(d)(3) or Housing Development Action Grants, or State programs.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

Local public policies, rules, and regulations (property taxes, land-use controls, zoning ordinances, building codes, charges, and growth limits) are not barriers to providing affordable housing in Flint. The residential elements of the city's master plan, the 1990 Comprehensive Plan of Policies for Development of the City of Flint, support the rehabilitation, development, and construction of affordable housing.

Fair Housing

The Human Relations Commission maintains up-to-date information on fair housing and serves as a resource on tenant-landlord rights and responsibilities.

Lead-Based Paint

Based on the age of housing, an estimated 27,600 housing units in Flint may contain lead- based paint. About 8,700 units occupied by low-income households have that potential hazard.

Between October 1993 and September 1994, 95 cases of lead poisoning in Flint were documented by the Genesee County Health Department. The greatest concentration of these cases was in nine census tracts.

All public multifamily housing and scattered-site units built before 1980 have been tested for lead-based paint. To determine geographic concentrations of lead-based paint hazards, the city plans to collect additional information from the Genesee County Health Department on the location of housing where cases of elevated blood-lead levels have been reported.

Other Issues

Flint needs to provide housing and other support services for people who are elderly, who have a mental or physical disability or a mental illness, or who are substance abusers or victims of domestic violence. In general, the needs of each group are similar -- for affordable and accessible housing -- although the mix of appropriate support services differs somewhat.

Community Development Needs

Non-housing community development needs include repairs, updating, and new construction of public facilities and infrastructure (especially water supply, flood drainage, and sewer systems). Also needed are public service programs (including transportation systems, crime awareness activities, and job training) and economic development efforts.

Housing Priorities

The city's housing priorities include:

• Rehabilitation to bring both owner-occupied and rental units in one- to four- unit buildings up to housing code compliance. Homeowners will receive low- interest loans; rental property investors will be offered rebates or interest write-downs for code-compliance rehabilitation.
• Section 8 rental assistance for extremely low- and very low-income small- family renters, homeless persons, and others with special needs.
• Production of new units through MSHDA-backed construction mortgages for lower income renters in mixed-income and elderly multifamily developments.
• Acquisition and rehabilitation of existing housing units for homebuyer programs, with counseling on homeownership responsibilities for financially sound low- and moderate-income households.

Non-Housing Community Development Priorities

Flint's non-housing community development priorities include:

• Infrastructure -- Improvements to water, flood drain, and sewer systems and to streets and sidewalks.
• Public facilities -- A senior health center and repairs to five senior centers; a "neighborhood empowerment mall" in the Enterprise Community area; repairs and improvements to parks and recreation facilities, including Atwood Stadium; and repairs to the city hall complex.
• Public service -- Employment training, youth outreach activities, supportive services for the elderly, crime awareness programs, and additional child care services, including off-hour and special-needs care.
• Economic development -- Property rehabilitation at small business locations, a long-term economic deterioration prevention program, and a microenterprise loan program.
• Planning -- For University Park development and for an economic adjustment plan.

Anti-Poverty Strategy

The central approach of Flint's anti-poverty strategy is to assist very low-income households to become economically independent. Programs to promote this goal include housing, literacy education, job skills training, child care, and job placement components.

Housing and Community Development Resources

The resources to carry out the 5-year plan include the $8.4 million in CDBG, HOME, and ESG funds to be received this year. It is anticipated that similar levels of HUD support for community development and housing activities will be available to Flint during the remaining 4 years of the strategic plan. The city also plans to use assistance from a variety of Federal, State, and other sources.

Coordination of the Strategic Plan

Flint's Department of Community and Economic Development will be the lead agency for the coordination and implementation of the Consolidated Plan. It will continue to work with Genesee County on the Emergency Shelter Program, community development, and the development of plans. Flint participates in area infrastructure committees, including transportation planning, with the Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission and other local governmental units. The city works with the Genesee Economic Area Revitalization agency on economic development issues.

Flint continues its partnership with MSHDA and its sponsored developers on affordable housing development. The city also participates in coalitions concerned with the problem of homelessness and in localized community development efforts, such as the Enterprise Community Plan.

Description of Key Projects

For the program year 1995-96, Flint plans to use $6.7 million in the current CDBG grant, program income, and prior-year funds for activities to address identified community development and public service needs.

For eight housing-rehabilitation activities, $2.3 million is allocated, including:

• $709,977 to the Flint Neighborhood Improvement and Preservation Project (NIPP) for loans for rehabilitation of 40 owner-occupied single-family housing units.
• $709,977 to Genesee County Community Action Agency for low-interest loans for rehabilitation of 40 units of owner-occupied single-family housing.
• $150,000 to Odyssey House to rehabilitate about 6 units of owner-occupied housing in selected census tracts.
• $346,566 to Salem Housing Task Force to acquire, rehabilitate, and resell at least 15 vacant salvageable houses to low-income first-time home purchasers.

For community development projects, $1.8 million is budgeted, including:

• $656,000 for the spot demolition of about 150 blighted, deteriorating structures and for the boarding up of 100 vacant, unsecured buildings.
• $800,000 to resurface about 10,000 feet of deteriorated streets and to implement a gated-community concept in one or more neighborhoods.
• $100,000 to maintain and sell or lease CDBG-acquired property.
• $200,000 for code enforcement inspectors.

For economic development the budget is $100,000 for the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the Flint Community Development Corporation for business counseling.

For 20 public services activities, $947,500 is allotted, including:

• $9,000 to the St. Agnes food pantry.
• $56,895 to the Human Relations Commission for fair housing efforts.
• $45,833 to each of five senior centers to help pay center directors.
• $190,000 to Flint NIPP Housing Center for its neighborhood improvement projects, including home-repair project and maintenance classes, tool lending library, and community organizational efforts.
• $18,000 to Neighborhood Coalition for its basic living skills program.

Allocations of HOME program funding include:

• $175,000 to Court Street Village Nonprofit Housing Corporation for new elderly rental housing.
• $280,000 to Odyssey House for rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing.
• $365,505 to Metro Housing Partnership homebuyer assistance program to acquire, rehabilitate, and sell about 43 homes.
• $364,995 to the Salem Housing Task Force homebuyer program to acquire and repair 8 to 10 vacant single-family homes.
• $130,000 to the Flint Community Development Corporation to acquire, rehabilitate, and lease about 10 houses in the Flint 2000 area.

Activities funded by the Emergency Shelter Grant include:

• $37,200 to the Salvation Army for homelessness prevention work.
• $58,941 to the Shelter of Flint for temporary shelter for women and children.
• $29,350 to the YWCA of Greater Flint for temporary housing and supportive services for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault and their children.
• $35,570 to Transition House for services to homeless substance abusers.

Housing Goals

Housing activities included in this year's Action Plan are expected to result in 186 new or rehabilitated housing units. Another 250 seriously deteriorated vacant units will be demolished or boarded up, pending clearance.

Maps

MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.

MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.

MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.

MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.

MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.

MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6 .

MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6 .

MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).

Ms. Denise Heath
Monitoring and Evaluation Manager
Community and Economic Development Department
1101 South Saginaw Street
Flint, MI 48502
Phone: 810-766-7351