Written by: Leon El-Alamin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
ARPA Community Advisory Committee gives Input on $15.6 million in funds. The MADE Institute provides services to individuals returning to Flint, Michigan following incarceration. Flint is the birthplace of General Motors and was the location of the water crisis in 2016 which has dramatically impacted the people who live here.
MADE provides job training, transitional housing, and access to health programs along with a myriad of other support services to returning citizens. Since 2016, our programs have provided training and services to 1,000 individuals. Programs include our EPIK Life Skills Program, Google Certification, and more.
The MADE Institute's director, Leon El-Alamin, was appointed as one of the 12 Flint residents to serve on Flint’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Advisory Committee. He is representing Ward 3 for the City of Flint and will serve as a voice for residents during the grantmaking process.
The committee will help evaluate the ARPA community grant proposals that were due on March 27. There is $15.6 million in available funds that are being awarded as community grants. The committee’s recommendations will be reviewed by the Mayor and Flint City Council, who will make the final decision on funding awards.
Committee members will serve up to six months. Their work is being supported by the philanthropic community in Genesee County including the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. The Community Foundation and Ruth Mott Foundation.
Funding Overview
The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act and signed into law by President Biden in March 2021. The program delivers $350 billion to state, territorial, local, and Tribal governments across the country to support their response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency.
"I am honored to represent the residents of the City of Flint on this committee,” said El-Alamin. “The resources provided to the community through the program will greatly us recover some of the losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Applications will be reviewed soon by the committee. Recommended proposals will then be reviewed and given final approval by City Council and Mayor Sheldon Neeley.
Leon El-Alamin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Leon El-Alamin is the founder and Executive Director of the M.A.D.E. Institute, that stands for Money, Attitude, Direction and Education. Growing up on the North Side of Flint, Leon was a good kid who took refuge at his grandmother’s house to escape the challenges he faced at home and out on the streets. After graduating from high school, the allure of earning fast money made Leon start selling cocaine. A few years later, a shootout over a drug turf war landed him in the hospital where he spent a month in a coma. The incident led to his eventual arrest and imprisonment on drug and weapons charges. At the age of 30, Leon was released from prison after serving part of his sentence then founded MADE.
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