Featured photo: Unlike in the old building, Crossover Outreach now has a warehouse area for storage of items for certain programs. This picture shows a group of students from Howard University who came to volunteer as part of their Alternative Spring Break program.
Flint, Michigan – Crossover Outreach, which has provided Flint and Genesee County residents with critical resources since 1991, has reopened for client services and donations in its newly constructed building on Court Street.
After being closed for four months during construction, Crossover staff members and volunteers are pleased to announce their doors are back open. Community members are invited to an open house, scheduled for 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on April 8. Guests will have the opportunity to tour the new space and interact with staff and board members.
Prior to the new building, the nonprofit had been operating out of a home built for a single family. Over the past several years, the needs of the community have only continued to grow, with over 35% of the population living under the federal poverty level. The staff had a real sense of urgency to expand services and programming to reach more people in need but knew they couldn’t continue serving long term out of their current space.
“We desperately needed a new space, but we needed it tailored to our needs and how we serve the community,” said Denise Diller, executive director at Crossover.
Diller added: “We also knew it had to be sustainable long term. This new building is exactly that. And more importantly, it’s a tool to help us serve even more people experiencing hardships in our community.”
The new facility, which is located on the same property as the old at 414 W. Court St., has increased the nonprofit’s usable space from 5,000 to 7,500 square feet. In 2023, Crossover began to see an increase in the number of individuals and families utilizing its daily services, 47% of which had sought out these services for the first time.
“Many clients are in a position where they must choose whether to pay their rent, water bill, electric bill or buy food for themselves and their children,” said Tiffany Sommers, development officer at Crossover.
Sommers added: “Families have now lost pandemic benefits and are once again struggling to pay for things, such as food, basic needs items and insurance. With more than 100 local organizations referring their clients to Crossover for emergency food, clothing, household items and other resources, it’s more important than ever to be open and serving Flint area residents again.”
Crossover’s new facility has a community space, which community partners can use for meetings, support groups and classes, including recovery support, healthcare education, job training, nutrition, financial literacy and more.
“Offering these resources will allow us and our partners to grow deeper relationships with residents and go beyond the crisis needs of poverty, which is really exciting,” Diller said.
For example, the Flint Holistic Recovery Community meets at Crossover every Wednesday. They were established with the intention of creating a safe space for holistic modalities and multiple pathways to coexist and be a community support for those in recovery.
“As a self-supporting group, having a space to meet on a continuous basis that is free of charge and equipped for what we need for holistic healing is vital to the recovery community,” said Nicole Stroub, FHRC member.
In April of 2023, Crossover announced they raised more than $2.6 million, surpassing their fundraising goal. Major funders include the Whiting Foundation, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Samueli Foundation, Graff Family Foundation, The Carls Foundation, Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Michigan and two foundations that wish to remain anonymous.
As Crossover continues to grow, this building is just the next step and a much-needed addition to the communities they serve. It’s a worthwhile and meaningful investment into the city of Flint, improving the corridor and providing a more robust resource center for their neighbors in need.
Learn more about Crossover and the resources offered to the community at crossoveroutreach.org.
