We believe that housing is the most basic of needs that play a role in family well-being and that everyone deserves the opportunity to live in safe, affordable housing.
We can empower people through education and life skills training and by teaching them coping skills to help put their lives in order and improve their overall quality of life. We can also reduce the risk of homelessness through case management, modeling, and coaching. Housing coupled with these programs and services will move Genesee County families out of homelessness and into safe, stable conditions where they can thrive.
Click here to see our Impact Report highlighting some of the progress we made in 2023.
Emergency Shelter
Shelter of Flint’s emergency shelter houses up to 70 people each night. Although emergency shelter is a vital band-aid to an immediate problem, it is not a permanent solution. Our emergency shelter program is truly that – a program. We are not simply sheltering people for a single night to have them return to the streets the next day. An individual or family that comes to our emergency shelter typically stays for 30-90 days. Throughout that stay, we work with them to resolve the issues that brought about their homelessness, and help them move to the next step on the housing continuum.
Our emergency shelter serves the individuals and families in our community, including women, male and female single parents, and two parent households who experience a wide range of homelessness-contributing circumstances.
Permanent Supportive Housing
Permanent Supportive Housing provides affordable housing coupled with supportive services to our homeless clients with emotional, mental, or physical disabilities. All Permanent Supportive Housing clients are provided with affordable rents, case management, life skills workshops, and other programs that improve quality of life.
Supportive Services
As Shelter of Flint assists each client with developing a long-range plan toward permanent stability, we take into account the need to address safe, affordable housing, employment, education and training, health care, counseling and treatment, and the safety and well-being of their children.
Each family or individual has a case manager who cares about them and takes a personal interest in helping them succeed. In addition to working on specific, immediate needs, the case manager also helps with assessment and referrals, life skills development, and connections to community resources.
Homeless Outreach
The Homeless Outreach Program serves a vital role in our community as a point of entry into homelessness services for the citizens of Genesee County. The program provides homeless verification through street outreach for housing programs, wrap around services – partnering with other community agencies to serve clients, intake for clients for Continuum of Care programs, and information and referral leading to human services available in Genesee County. This program also provides transportation for consumers seeking employment, applying for public benefits, and locating housing in all Continuum of Care programs.
For details on how our homeless outreach team helps clients receive benefits, click here for an interview with SOAR Caseworker Zuzanna Gos-Henderson.
Programs for Children
Nearly 60% of those who stay with us are children under the age of ten. These special shelter residents are often too young to understand why they are with us, but they are old enough to be scared, worried, and unsure about their future. Caterpillar Clubhouse, our dedicated children’s program, seeks to provide these children with the tools they need to be successful, both educationally and socially.
During the school year, daily activities place a strong emphasis on homework and tutoring. A sampling of ongoing programming topics includes:
- STEM – Weekly science-focused classes with the Harris STREAM Team
- Scouts – Activities with the Boy and Girl Scouts emphasizing leadership and appreciating the great outdoors
- 4H – Projects with the Michigan State University 4H club featuring courses on life skills, agriculture, and entrepreneurship
- Arts & Crafts – A variety of projects that let the children get creative and engage their design skills
- Fitness – Balance, dance, hula hoops, jump rope, backyard activities, and yoga for children and adults
- Field Trips – Adventures to local attractions such as the Sloan Museum of Discovery, For-Mar Nature Preserve, and the Longway Planetarium, just to name a few
