The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in Flint, Michigan, has announced four grants totaling $1 million to help nonprofit agencies in Genesee County provide safety-net services such as food, housing, and utility assistance.

In response to a stressed local economy that has left social services agencies in the county facing record demand, the foundation awarded $540,000 to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to upgrade its warehouse management system and create a $40,000 matching fund for local food pantries and churches; $200,000 to the Salvation Army of Genesee County to help area residents with rent and utility payments; and $160,000 to Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties to enable the North End Soup Kitchen to provide a second hot meal each day and serve as a winter warming station. In addition, Shelter of Flint, Inc. received $100,000 to improve its case management services so that clients are better able to access support services and opportunities for permanent housing.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate in Genesee County has jumped from 4.5 percent in 2000 to 17.5 percent in 2009, while the number of school-age students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches has risen from 43 percent to 55 percent. Within Flint proper, unemployment exceeds 27 percent, with approximately 35 percent of the city's population living at or below federal poverty levels.

"This has been a tough year for Flint and for Michigan, and it is impossible to ignore the plight of so many of our neighbors who are struggling each day to make painful choices in this difficult economy," said Mott Foundation president William S. White. "While these grants do not create a systemic solution to unemployment and homelessness in Flint and Genesee County, they do represent an attempt to help individuals and families find a measure of stability and relief during a time of extreme duress."