Mount Clemens opens 2025 CDBG hearing as nonprofits request $31,030

The Mount Clemens City Commission opened a public hearing on the city's 2025 Community Development Block Grant program and heard requests from eight local nonprofits seeking a combined $31,030 in public-service funding.

City Manager Shipman told the commission the city may receive up to $13,700 from the Macomb Urban County program for public service organizations and may apply for up to two capital projects, each with a maximum request of $150,000. He said a vote on allocations is scheduled for the commission's Feb. 3, 2024, agenda.

Why it matters: CDBG funds are one of the few federal sources available to small, non-entitlement cities to support services for low- and moderate-income residents. Mount Clemens is designated a non-entitlement community and receives its allocation through Macomb County, which passes local agency requests to the city for consideration.

Nonprofits at the hearing detailed how they would use potential awards. Christina Droz, finance director of Maggie's Wigs for Kids, requested $1,200 to sponsor wigs and family support for a Mount Clemens child and said the organization provides services statewide at no charge. "We charge nothing. We turn no one away," Droz said.

Kat Garvey, operations and special events coordinator for Carehaus (the Macomb County child advocacy center), asked the commission for $6,000 to support services for four Mount Clemens child victims and families. Garvey cited the organization's audit figure, saying, "92¢ of every dollar that comes to Carehaus is specifically devoted to serving children and families in our community."

Tim Joy, grants manager for WAVE Project, described mobile shower and essentials programs and requested $4,000 to cover security costs at a newly opened Macomb County Winter Shelter. "We've been serving 83 people each and every night," Joy said, adding the shelter could reach about 100 people on high-demand nights.

Charnita Johnson, director of the shelter program at Turning Point, requested $3,000 to help provide hotel accommodations and emergency supports when shelter beds are full. Hearts for Homes asked for $3,000 to continue a security-deposit program that provides up to $1,000 per family to help people move into housing.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about unused or "recaptured" funds and potential capital projects; staff noted potential capital uses including a playground phase 2 and equipment to complete an SCBA purchase for the fire department. Several commissioners and staff emphasized that the CDBG allocation for Mount Clemens is small relative to local need but constrained by federal formulas applied at the county level.

Next steps: The commission will consider final allocations and any capital-project applications at its Feb. 3, 2024 meeting. The hearing record will inform staff recommendations and the local distribution of county-administered CDBG funds.