Flint, MI — Mayor Sheldon Neeley recently announced that a promised City of Flint’s service center will open to the public on Jan. 17, 2024, at a former bank building on the city’s north side.
The operating hours will be from Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
According to the mayor, the site will operate as a drive-thru location for water bills and other city payments. The site will also be a place to connect with city officials for multiple resources, report crime, and seek harm reduction support for opioid use.
“This was an old, former Huntington Bank location,” Neeley said during a press conference at the site, located at 4813 Clio Road, on Jan. 3. “But we thought that when they left our community on this particular site, we want to reactivate the sleeping giant with empowerment for Flint residents.”
The satellite location is being leased as a pilot initiative for one year through the Flint Police Department’s forfeiture budget, Neeley conveyed.
Flint City Council approved the $108,000 per year arrangement in November 2023 after the lease’s funding source was changed from the mayor’s initial proposal of using the city’s opioid settlement dollars.
Other partners in the location also spoke at the Jan. 3 event, including Flint Police Chief Terence Green, who said a uniformed officer would be stationed at the site and investigating opioid deaths, as well as Shelly Sparks-Green, the city’s Chief Resilience Officer, who noted the city’s public health navigators would join police efforts to battle the city’s opioid epidemic from the satellite location.
“We’ll have our navigators here. This will be a safe place for people to come in and talk about their family issues about opioids and what we need to do, get Narcan kits, and all of that,” she said from the podium.
Many guests and speakers also spoke of their excitement for the new space, including Beverly Lewis, Executive Director of Hasselbring Senior Center. Lewis told Flint Beat that she and the residents she serves were looking forward to the location’s accessibility.
“We have lot of seniors that don’t drive,” Lewis said, noting that the satellite location was very near to the Hallwood Plaza bus stop. “And for those who do drive, it’s in their neighborhood. Most of our seniors that frequent the center live in this area.”
Lewis said that the parking meters outside of Flint City Hall had been a regular complaint for seniors and “a big headache” for her to explain, especially because the meters don’t always work or people would type in the wrong space number and get a ticket even though they paid for parking.
“And the walk,” she added. “Even for those who are mobile: that’s a long walk. So it’s just going to be great for them… The convenience is the biggest thing.”
Neeley ended by saying he hopes to see the center well-utilized and gain further funding for ongoing operation after the lease is set to expire in December 2024.