Mount Clemens nonprofit leaders ask commission for CDBG support at public hearing

Mount Clemens — Local nonprofit leaders asked the city commission on Tuesday to allocate federal CDBG dollars to services for residents, shelter operations and home-based supports during a public hearing on the city’s FY2020 Community Development Block Grant application.

Karen Bates Geyser, a Mount Clemens resident who spoke for Turning Point, told commissioners the organization operates a 24-hour hotline, a 52‑bed emergency shelter and countywide counseling and advocacy services and asked the commission to award Turning Point $15,000 to cover shelter nights and related costs. "We are still in Mount Clemens, serving Mount Clemens residents," Bates Geyser said, noting Turning Point answered nearly 1,000 hotline calls per month and provided hundreds of shelter nights to local residents last year.

Nikki Pittman, a forensic interviewer at Carehaus (the Macomb County Child Advocacy Center), described multidisciplinary services for child abuse victims and provided local statistics: Carehaus reported 753 forensic interviews in 2018 (31 residents from Mount Clemens) and 757 in 2019 (24 Mount Clemens residents). Pittman asked the commission to support the program; in the record she stated a funding request of "$7,202,100" to support 12 Mount Clemens child victims and their families (amount stated as presented to the commission).

Karen Currow, director of the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers Program, requested $840 for the "Safe at Home" program that provides chores, minor repairs, rides and friendly visits to help older or disabled residents remain independent. Currow said volunteers provided nearly 1,500 hours of service last year and that two program staff live in Mount Clemens.

City staff told the commission the city expects to apply for approximately $163,584 in CDBG funding for FY2020, with up to $150,000 available for a single capital project and $13,584 available for nonprofit organizations. The staff notice and a list of preapproved nonprofit applicants were provided with the agenda.

The commission closed the public hearing after the scheduled presentations and public comments. No final allocations were announced at the meeting; the record shows the hearing was intended to collect public input to guide the city’s CDBG application and prioritization process.