Flint Council Allocates $5.2M in ARPA Funds to Home Repairs; $30M Berston Field House Renovation Launched

Overview

The Flint City Council approved a package of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocations on Monday, August 28, 2023, directing roughly $5.2 million toward critical home repair programs for city residents. At the same meeting, officials publicly announced a separate $30 million capital campaign to renovate the historic Berston Field House, a community institution on North Saginaw Street that has served Flint since 1923.

The home repair package was scaled down from an earlier resident request of approximately $16 million, but it still represents one of the larger single-meeting ARPA deployments the council has approved. After these votes, an estimated $32 million in Flint's ARPA funding remained unallocated.

Where the Home Repair Money Is Going

The council distributed the home repair funds among several nonprofit and community service providers, each with established track records in Genesee County housing work:

• Metro Community Development — over $1.5 million
• Habitat for Humanity (Genesee County) — over $1.5 million
• Genesee County Community Action Resource Department (GCCARD) — $850,000
• Court Street Village — $200,000 for roof repairs
• Lead abatement set-aside — approximately $326,000 earmarked for addressing lead hazards in Flint homes

A separate $225,000 Court Street Village request for exterior painting was sent back to the finance committee rather than approved at this meeting. Councilman Pfeiffer objected to funding paint jobs while many homes in the city still need fundamental structural repairs.

Who Qualifies

The city outlined baseline eligibility requirements for residents who want to tap the ARPA-funded repair programs:

• The homeowner must be current on all property taxes and water bills
• The household must be in good standing with the City of Flint
• Applicants must first apply through the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF), which offers up to $25,000 per eligible household before layering in the city-administered ARPA dollars

Mayor Sheldon Neeley said at the time that work should begin within roughly a month of approval, with residents directed to apply through one of the three lead service providers. Specific application windows, intake procedures, and per-household award caps were to be communicated through local media, the city website, and social media once contracts with the providers were finalized.

Compliance and Oversight

Ernst & Young, the city's ARPA compliance firm, is reviewing the allocations to confirm they meet U.S. Treasury guidance on eligible uses of federal relief dollars. That review is standard for ARPA-funded housing assistance, which must generally tie back to pandemic-era impacts on low- and moderate-income households, public health, or disproportionately affected communities.

The $30 Million Berston Field House Campaign

At the same meeting, a $30 million capital campaign was announced to renovate Berston Field House, the 1923 facility at 3300 N. Saginaw Street that has long served as a hub for youth boxing, recreation, and community programming in north Flint. The city allocated additional ARPA funding toward the renovation, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation pledged to match donations raised during the campaign — effectively doubling every dollar contributed by residents, businesses, and other donors.

Votes, Absences, and Politics

The home repair package passed with five council members voting yes. Two members were absent, one abstained because of pending litigation, and one member was suspended at the time of the vote. A separate $1 million ARPA proposal to support the Rx Kids cash-assistance program was rejected at the same session, reflecting ongoing council debate over how to prioritize the remaining federal relief dollars.

Why It Matters

For Flint homeowners, the practical upshot is straightforward: if you are current on taxes and water, own and occupy your home, and have a critical repair need — roofs, plumbing, heating, electrical, accessibility, or lead hazard remediation — the combination of MIHAF and these newly funded city programs is designed to cover work that households could not otherwise afford. Residents should watch for intake announcements from GCCARD, Metro Community Development, and Habitat for Humanity, and should gather documentation of ownership, income, and property tax and water bill status in advance to streamline any application.

Sources and Further Reading

Details in this article are drawn from contemporaneous reporting by Flint Beat, East Village Magazine, and WNEM-TV 5 covering the August 28, 2023 Flint City Council meeting, as well as the City of Flint's own ARPA communications.