Mount Clemens hears nonprofit requests as city opens CDBG public hearing for $62,133 allocation

Mount Clemens commissioners opened a public hearing Feb. 1 on the city’s expected $62,133 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation for fiscal year 2016 and heard pleas from local nonprofits and residents about how the money should be spent.

City staff told the commission the allocation is expected to total $62,133, with $2,500 tentatively reserved for the Macomb County Senior Shore program, and that the commission will approve final allocations at its Feb. 16 meeting. ‘‘The purpose of this item is to elicit public input on how these dollars should be spent within the city,’’ a staff speaker said.

Representatives from several organizations asked for specific support. Mark Henderson, shelter coordinator and case manager at Ray of Hope and the Macomb County Warming Center, requested “a little over $5,000’’ to hire a part-time caseworker to expand housing and case-management services; he said the center has helped about 4,000 individuals since 2006 and recently housed several people who had been sleeping on city sidewalks.

Alyssa Diaz, executive director of Macomb Literacy Partners, asked the commission for $2,000 to defray costs for adult literacy services, noting that the program helped nine Mount Clemens residents last year and more than 5,500 countywide over three decades. Nicole Urban, program manager with the Macomb County Office of Senior Services and a Mount Clemens resident, requested $2,500 for chore services that help low- and moderate-income seniors remain in their homes; she said the program leveraged state, federal and county funds and has provided dozens of service hours to Mount Clemens residents.

Rachel Williams of the Lighthouse Food Bank (now part of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries) requested $25,000, saying the pantry serves about 5,000 individuals annually and that approximately 10 percent of those clients are from Mount Clemens. Sarah Farrington of the Hope Center said the pantry will serve roughly 25,000 people next year, an estimated 750 from Mount Clemens, and thanked the commission for past support. Jennifer Fisher of Wigs for Kids requested $1,000 to cover the cost of providing one child with a custom wig and support services.

Dory Vasquez Nolan of Carehaus, the Macomb County child advocacy center, and Dina Antoon from Turning Point Shelter also urged funding: Antoon asked for $5,000 to support shelter services specifically for Mount Clemens survivors of domestic violence and homelessness and said Turning Point provided comprehensive support including crisis intervention and legal advocacy.

After public comment, a commissioner moved to close the hearing; the commission voted to close the hearing and staff reiterated that final award decisions would come at the Feb. 16 commission meeting.

The hearing provided a range of requests tied to housing stability, emergency food, senior services and domestic-violence response. City staff said they will report back with recommended allocations before the commission’s next meeting.