Flint, Michigan – Genesee County is starting a fresh round of community improvements now that it has received around $1.8 million in Community Development Block Grant money. County officials believe that the money will help pay for several local initiatives that will make neighborhoods stronger and make it easier for people to go to public places.
The Genesee County Board of Commissioners says that this year’s money will be utilized to do 42 different projects in 21 cities, municipalities, and townships. The county’s 2025–2027 call for projects chose the projects. During this time, any local government that wanted to participate sent in applications that met the requirements.
The CDBG funding are meant to help make low- to moderate-income neighborhoods better and help people who are considered “presumed benefit populations,” like seniors and people with disabilities. The planned work includes fixing up parks, upgrading streets and sidewalks, and other infrastructure projects that make communities safer and easier to get about.
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Last year’s program was used by county officials as an example of how the money made a difference. In the past, CDBG money helped restore old sidewalks in the City of Davison, put in ADA-accessible picnic tables in parks all throughout the City of Flushing, and helped tear down 10 run-down buildings in Genesee Township, Flushing Township, and the City of Fenton.
The Community Development initiatives are run by the Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission. These programs are closely related to the county’s larger purpose of promoting long-term community growth. The money can be used for more than just building infrastructure; it can also be used for fair housing initiatives and services that help those with low incomes.
County authorities say that the projects are a good balance of what the county needs and what the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says should be done. The county wants to make sure that improvements reach people in a lot of different neighborhoods by spreading the money across a lot of communities.
The county has a full list of approved projects that shows residents exactly how the CDBG money will be used in their neighborhoods over the next few months.