Ben Carson visits Flint as new housing development prepares to open
Click here for updates on this story
FLINT, MI (WNEM) — Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson made a visit to Flint Wednesday.
“This is the beginning of a beautiful thing,” he said.
Carson toured the Clark Commons Choice neighborhood in Flint.
“The fact that before a month people will actually be living here. And as this community develops automatically what starts happening is it becomes a nexus for creating more economic activity.”
The neighborhood is on Louisa Street.
In 2018, Flint received a $30 million choice neighborhood grant and are currently constructing phase 1 of the project.
Clark Commons is the first of four phases of new rental housing to be constructed over the next few years which will result in 253 new rental units.
Carson says things like this couldn’t happen without the local and state communities coming together.
“The whole idea that there’s a lot more money in the private sector then there is in the federal government, that’s why we have been emphasizing private-public partnerships,” Carson said. “That’s what this represents. Take the federal money $30 million it sounds like a lot but it’s a drop in the bucket it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed.”
He says good housing will bring real economic development to flint, jobs and better opportunities.
“It encourages me as I travel around the country,” he said. “Is seeing individuals who could be doing lots of other things. Who are actually working to make a sacrifice, to do for their communities.”
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
