City of Flint Home Repair Resources
Executive Summary
Councilmember Tonya Burns partnered with a Ford School MPP student to research municipal home rehabilitation programs and considerations for the City of Flint. The impact of the water crisis, paired with the already existing economic decline the City of Flint has experienced due to the shift in manufacturing from America’s Midwestern cities and towns to overseas manufacturers, has left Flint with a population half of what it was in 1960. This decline has led to an increase in abandoned commercial and residential structures, as well as a dwindling tax base to provide services to residents. The final deliverable provides an overview of municipal home rehabilitation programs with an emphasis on the barriers residents face when accessing this type of funding. Additionally, the report gives further consideration to the City of Flint and the current climate local stakeholders are navigating. The recommendations reflect insights gathered from literature and policy reviews, a review of current home repair resources offered in the Genesee County area, a review of home rehabilitation programs outside of Michigan, and conversations with former and current Flint residents.