First Ward Community Center’s new status as a HUD EnVision Center, a “one-stop shop” for an array of programs to uplift low-income people, led to quite a celebration.
Saginaw Mayor Floyd Kloc spoke. So did County Board of Commissioners Chairman Michael Webster, along with state Rep. Vanessa Guerra.
Joseph Galvan, Midwest field administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, flew in from Chicago to deliver the keynote. He was introduced by Michael Polsinelli, HUD Detroit field office director.
The only thing missing was a HUD check to take to the bank. That’s because EnVision Centers are unfunded designations. And that’s fine with First Ward CC Director Michelle McGregor, who joined Galvan in cutting a ribbon to close the ceremony.
“The main benefit is that this gives us leverage with other federal programs, and with local and community resources,” McGregor says, noting that FWCC teamed with city government and the Saginaw Housing Commission to submit the application. “It’s like taking what we do now, and putting it on steroids.”
First Ward CC, entering its 90th year as a local civic cornerstone, offers programming for general anti-poverty needs, for youth after-school and summer activities, for employment skills training and for senior citizens outreach.
Elsewhere, not so popular
In some other cities and towns across the nation, reaction to the HUD EnVision Centers has not been as well-received as in Saginaw, revealed in a Michigan Banner investigative analysis.
An NBC News report that pops up prominently via a simple Google search for “hud envision” is headlined, “Ben Carson’s ‘signature’ HUD initiative has gone nowhere.” This is a major indictment of EnVision Centers.
Carson, of course, is the famous surgeon named as HUD secretary by President Trump upon the January 2017 inauguration. Later that same year, Dr. Carson was a guest at the Boys & Girls Club in his Detroit hometown, where he launched his pitch for Envision Centers.
But Shaun Wilson, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, later told a member of the NBC News team, “After due diligence and understanding what resources were needed to make it successful, we decided not to participate.”
Another outreach provider, Chad Williams of the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority, said, “Nobody knows what (EnVision Centers) are supposed to do,” adding, “Where is the funding?”
McGregor responds that while EnVision status does not bring direct extra HUD funds to Saginaw, the designation will help plant some seeds.
She offers the hypothetical example of urban agriculture and gardening, with open land aplenty in abandoned areas of the First Ward. An approach to the U.S. Department of Agriculture could carry much more weight with FWCC represented as an EnVision Center, she explains.
“The USDA people are the farmers,” McGregor notes. “We’re not.”
Regardless, support for FWCC
Many longtime residents recall original First Ward Center director Edith Baillie and her green bench for youth discipline, followed by Ruben Daniels, and later by Charles and Sheilda Braddock. As the First Ward area gradually became abandoned, the center along North Washington Avenue has adjusted, often relying on buses to transport patrons who in the old days lived within walking distance.
Webster says he considered HUD’s lack of EnVision funding as he prepared his ribbon-cutting remarks, but he opted to look on the bright side.
“I set the political backdrop aside, meaning the ‘characters’ from Washington, and simply questioned, can this do any good symbolically, socially or even motivationally in our community?” Webster says, “My response to this question framed the short comments that I made during the event.
“Bottom line, I believe the event was more about the history and impact First Ward CC has had on Saginaw. Can this organization remain relevant to have a similar impact on ‘EnVisioning’ our future?”
Guerra offers a similar outlook, expressing concerns about “empty promises” from Carson and from HUD.
“First Ward does amazing work in our community,” Guerra says. “That is why they were chosen by HUD. While we appreciate the federal recognition, I know that this work will go on not because of federal support, but because of First Ward’s commitment to Saginaw.
“I am not a fan of Ben Carson or the current administration, but I know the leadership at FWCC will knock this out of the park, as they have done with all other programs they have utilized.”
When HUD or another federal agency makes an important announcement, the local congressman or a staffer almost always attends, but U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee was not present at the ribbon-cutting. A Kildee spokesman told The Banner that the congressman was not invited to the ribbon-cutting and placed emphasis on “safe and affordable housing” and foreclosure prevention during the Covid pandemic for “every family, regardless of their zip code.”
The spokesman, who asked to remain “on background,: added: “Regarding the current administration, Congressman Kildee believes that much more could be done to strengthen communities and support affordable housing. Secretary Carson and the Trump administration have consistently sought to cut successful programs like the Community Development Block Program.”
HUD leaders go silent
The NBC report aired a year ago. Since then, HUD officials have reported they have designated five EnVision sites in Michigan, including Saginaw, among 69 nationwide.
At The Michigan Banner, we attempted to call both Chicago’s Galvan and Detroit’s Polsinelli for their reactions to the Saginaw no-HUD-funding feedback. On six calls during a four-day span, we were blocked by their telephone answering machines and our recorded inquiries, including our phone number and email, reaped no responses. Banner readers are invited to try yourselves: Galvan (312) 353-5680; Polsinelli (313) 226-7900.
Carson, who grew up in public housing, is well known for his “bootstraps” approach for families and individuals to combat hardship. He has identified the EnVision mission as “households empowered to self-sufficiency.” His four categories are economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness, along with character and leadership.
A 31-page budget summary at hud.gov makes no specific mention of EnVision Centers. However, Secretary Carson writes in his cover letter, “The President’s Budget bolsters HUD’s efforts to break the cycle of poverty by requesting $190 million for self-sufficiency programs.”
This $190 million sum comprises a fraction of 1 percent of HUD’s $45 billion overall budget.
