Communities First

Housing-The need for quality affordable housing grew substantially in 2020. In November 2020, CFI completed construction of Berkley Place Apartments in Flint. This 33-unit development provides much needed housing for those experiencing homelessness, those with disabilities and those who are low to moderate income. At Coolidge Park Apartments, we welcomed Genesee Intermediate School District in opening an onsite early childhood classroom. CFI also purchased permanent supportive housing units in Detroit and affordable housing units in Flint to prevent the displacement of families.Financial Education Workshops-A robust financial education curriculum was plannes for 2020 and CFI successfully pivoted to an online platform to provide this important information. CFI conducted more than 20 sessions which were viewed more than 30,000 times.CFI had 206 volunteers who worked a total of 2,506 hours during 2020 Racial and Social Justice-Events taking place in 2020 led to social unrest and CFI reached 32,240 people with an important, timely and resperctful dialogue. The conversation was appreciated by all who viewed in and follow up resources were offered for books, movies and papers to further the conversation.MAD Flint and Detroit-CFI created a new youth program in 2019, called MAD (Make a Difference) that ran in both Flint and Detroit in 2020. The program teaches students how to address community needs and explore new career fields. In the process, students develop soft skills and enhanced knowledge of their communities.Movies Under the Stars-The outdoor movie series as held in a safe manner as a drive-in version with fun, food, and activities that hundreds enjoyed. African American Film Series-The film series successfully moved to an online format which presented interesting opportunities for the movie panel discussions. No longer restricted to individuals who could make it to the venue in Flint, the films reached people all over the country and we engaged panelists from other cities and sites to participate in robust and challenging discussions.Economic Development-In 2019, CFI directly assisted more than 25 small business nonprofits and aspiring community developers through technical assistance supports and referrals. These conversations were extremely timely amidst the pandemic and offered opportunities to sustain or grow business specific virtual sessions providing needed information to thousands. Civic Engagement-Communities First, Inc. is a champion empowering people who have historically felt that they did not have a voice. To this end, CFI worked with those experiencing homelessness to ensure that they understood their voting rights and had the opportunity to participate in the voting process. The organization was a Census champion, sharing information about the Census and encouraging people to fill out their Census.