Community Groups Fighting Blight One Property at a Time
Clean & Green Program Overview
The program began in 2004 as the Land Bank sought to partner with community-based organizations in order to advance community-based capacity, neighborhood health, youth engagement, the reuse of vacant land, and the Land Bank’s relationships with the community. Clean & Green is at the heart of the Land Bank’s community engagement. Block clubs, schools, churches, neighborhood associations and local non-profits are some of the roughly 100 community-based organizations who have participated in Clean & Green during more than a decade. Through the program, community-based groups seasonally maintain concentrated clusters of vacant properties. Each participating group receives a stipend for its maintenance work, much of which is used to employ local youth in improving their neighborhood conditions.
Program Purpose
Clean & Green is a program of the Genesee County Land Bank Authority that supports innovative community groups and organizations in the cleaning, maintaining, and beautifying of otherwise vacant properties in Genesee County.
Program Goals
The Land Bank partners with community based groups to increase the capacity of community-based groups to care for vacant properties. To improve the appearance and health of neighborhoods by cleaning and greening. To engage youth in the cleaning, greening, and ultimately changing of their neighborhoods. To inspire rethinking and reimagining of the opportunities of vacant properties. To build lasting relationships between the Land Bank and the community.
Program Results & Accomplishments
Program Results - 2025
- Maintained an average 3,500 vacant properties every three weeks in and around the city of Flint completing nearly 30,000 vacant property “mowings” collectively.
- Using innovative mowing strategies, Clean & Green groups were able to visit nearly 6,000 vacant lots every mow cycle.
- Engaged over 1,300 residents including nearly 600 youth in improving their neighborhoods.
- Contributed to eliminating blight in and around Flint valued at more than $1.5 million.
21 years of Accomplishments: 2004 – 2025
- Over 12,000 area residents are estimated to have participated in Clean & Green, including nearly 5,000 total area youth and more than 1,400 employed area youth.
- The Land Bank has invested over $7.5 million directly into community-based organizations through Clean & Green.
- Clean & Green groups have completed more than 360,000 vacant property mowing’s, valued at over $17 million.
- Nearly 600 vacant houses have been decoratively boarded by Clean & Green groups.
Clean & Green Groups Make Neighborhoods Safer
Clean & Green maintenance reduces crime according to research by the University of Michigan, Youth Violence Prevention Center. Clean & Green engaged areas compared to street segments with vacant, abandoned lots without community-engaged greening activities have: 30 percent fewer assaults, 40 percent fewer violent crimes overall, lower rates of child maltreatment and lower rates of youth gun violence.
How to Apply to Participate in Clean & Green
The application period for The Land Bank’s 2026 Clean & Green program is now OPEN!
The application period for The Land Bank’s 2026 Clean & Green program is now open. Apply today!
• New Groups that did not participate in the program in 2025, should fill out this application: https://forms.gle/NhCfYASUx2eHpFAa9
• Returning Groups that participated in Clean & Green during 2025, should fill out this application: https://forms.gle/kUMs9GhnyVGFeG4u7
• Paper copies of both applications are available in the Land Bank Lobby
APPLICATIONS DUE BY 3:30 PM ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, 2026
Program Requirements & Eligibility
The Land Bank annually selects community-based organizations for the Clean & Green program through a competitive application process. The number of groups selected depends on annual funding. Each group that is selected to participate is required to maintain at least 25 vacant properties between April and September. Each participating group receives a cash stipend to support its work. The value of the stipend for each group depends on the number of vacant properties the group maintains.
Clean & Green Groups Should Possess:
- A strong connection to the neighborhood or area in which it will work
- A commitment to engaging area youth
- Experience in vacant property maintenance and reuse
- The capacity to care for at least 25 vacant properties every three weeks, including all needed personnel, tools, and equipment
Program Timeline
- January: Applications are released by the Land Bank
- February: Applications are due
- March: Participating groups are selected and applicants are notified
- April: Program kicks-off
- May: Starting in May properties are maintained every three weeks
- September: Property maintenance concludes
Clean & Green Led Neighborhood Revitalization Projects
Preventing Illegal Dumping Through Community Action
Since 2021, the Genesee County Land Bank Authority (GCLBA has partnered with the University of Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center to combat illegal dumping and reclaim vacant land across Flint. Clean & Green community groups play a critical role in this effort, serving as on-the-ground partners who help identify, document, and monitor dumping on Land Bank–owned properties within their neighborhoods.
Through the Illegal Dumping Prevention Project, Clean & Green groups contribute local knowledge and volunteer power to collect real-time data, support targeted cleanups, and help maintain intervention sites. These community-informed efforts guide the installation of physical deterrents like boulders, lighting, cameras, and signage—transforming blighted dumping hotspots into cleaner, safer spaces. Together, Clean & Green groups and project partners are reducing dumping, strengthening neighborhood stewardship, and creating healthier environments for Flint residents.
By combining resident-led data collection with coordinated cleanups and long-term monitoring, the Illegal Dumping Prevention Project has helped reduce repeat dumping, improve the appearance and safety of vacant land, and strengthen community ownership of neighborhood spaces. Clean & Green involvement ensures these sites remain actively cared for after installation, extending the life of each intervention and demonstrating how sustained community stewardship can drive lasting change across Flint.
Goats at Work: Eco-Friendly Land Restoration in Flint
This past summer, a herd of goats is helped to transform overgrown vacant lots next to Ramona Park in Flint’s Metawanenee Hills neighborhood into safer, more welcoming green space. Goats naturally eat and digest invasive buckthorn, a thorny shrub that chokes out native plants and creates safety and dumping concerns.
By using goats instead of chemical herbicides or heavy machinery, the project clears land naturally, protects community health, and restores habitat for native wildlife. The initiative also includes community events like “Meet the Goats,” where residents can learn about urban grazing and share ideas for future greenspace plans.
Funded in partnership with local organizations and supported by the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network, this innovative effort fosters community-powered ecological restoration right in the heart of the city.
We’re proud to have worked with our Clean & Green partners to make this sustainable land stewardship project possible!
To learn more about the Goats and where they will be going next visit https://www.thelandbank.org/goats.asp
The Dupont Oasis
In 2025, with support from the Land Bank and the Urban Conservation Fund, the Dupont Oasis was brought to life—transforming vacant land into a vibrant and expansive community garden. Featuring Michigan native plants, welcoming gathering spaces, and a sustainable water system, the garden now serves as a place for connection, restoration, and neighborhood pride.
This project was spearheaded by long-time Clean & Green group WC’s Beautification Project and their leader Wanda Coleman, whose dedication and leadership have helped turn her neighborhood into a thriving green space for residents and visitors alike.
Through strong community partnerships and Clean & Green–led efforts, 5 vacant and decaying structures were demolished and their former lots thoughtfully repurposed to create this oasis—one that will continue to provide environmental benefits, beauty, and a shared space for the community for years to come.
Native Planting Gardens: Supporting Pollinators & Neighborhood Beautification
Through the Clean & Green program, select community groups received funding to create butterfly gardens on vacant lots across the City of Flint using Michigan-native plants. These gardens support local pollinators, strengthen neighborhood ecosystems, and transform underutilized spaces into vibrant community assets.
One of this year’s successful plantings was led by Bloom in Peace, a Clean & Green partner that transformed a formerly vacant Land Bank lot into a beautiful garden space for neighbors to enjoy. This project demonstrates how community-driven stewardship and native landscaping can create greener, healthier, and more welcoming neighborhoods throughout Flint.
Cleaner Greener Safer Initiative: Bringing Community Action to Flint
The Cleaner Greener Safer initiative is a collaborative effort led by the Genesee County Land Bank and local partners — including Crime Stoppers, the Genesee Conservation District, the City of Flint, and the Neighborhood Engagement Hub — to improve Flint’s public spaces and quality of life. This campaign focuses on coordinating community-led cleanup efforts, removing illegal dumping and hazardous debris, planting trees, and supporting ongoing neighborhood maintenance to help ensure green spaces are clean, safe, and sustainable for residents.
By bringing organizations and neighbors together, Cleaner Greener Safer amplifies ongoing programs like Clean & Green, promotes environmental stewardship, and creates healthier, more vibrant neighborhoods across Flint.
To learn more about the Cleaner Greener Safer Initiative visit https://www.thelandbank.org/cgs.asp
Year-Round Stewardship Beyond Clean & Green
Many Clean & Green groups go above and beyond the program by adopting, leasing, and maintaining vacant Land Bank lots year-round. These dedicated community stewards transform empty properties into gardens, green spaces, and well-kept lots that beautify neighborhoods and foster pride long after the Clean & Green season ends. Their ongoing commitment helps ensure vacant land remains an asset to the community—not just during the summer, but throughout the entire year.
Interested in leasing a vacant lot in your neighborhood?
View and complete the application here:
https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/lots_available_application_221006.pdf
Clean & Green Data-Driven Impacts Beyond the Neighborhood
Clean & Green data does more than guide local maintenance—it informs research that drives broader change. Community-collected data from Clean & Green groups has been used to support university-led research initiatives, helping partners study the impacts of vacant land interventions on safety, health, and neighborhood conditions. These findings extend the impact of Clean & Green beyond Flint, contributing to evidence-based strategies and academic research shaping vacant land and blight prevention efforts nationwide.
See some of the research that has been informed by Clean & Green data can be found below:
Bushman, G., Kondo, M. C., Rupp, L. A., Hohl, B. C., Gong, C. H., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2023). Associations between land bank ownership and stewardship of vacant properties and crime, violence, and youth victimization in Flint, MI. American Journal of Community Psychology, 72(3–4), 428–442. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12706
Center for Community Progress Illegal Dumping Blog
https://communityprogress.org/blog/prevent-illegal-dumping/
Hohl, B. C., Kondo, M. C., Rupp, L. A., Sadler, R. C., Gong, C. H., Le, K., Hertlein, M., Kelly, C., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2023). Community identified characteristics related to illegal dumping; a mixed methods study to inform prevention. Journal of Environmental Management, 346, 118930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118930
Preventing Illegal Dumping to Address Community Violence
https://yvpc.sph.umich.edu/projects/preventing-illegal-dumping-to-address-community-violence/
Sokol, R. L., Bushman, G., Gong, C. H., Rupp, L., Ryan, J. P., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2022). Associations Between Micro-neighborhood Greening and Child Maltreatment. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-021-00109-2
Supplement & Illegal Dumping Prevention Pilot
https://yvpc.sph.umich.edu/projects/supplement-and-illegal-dumping-prevention-pilot/
Several publications are currently in process and will be shared once published.
For additional past publications and related publications visit https://yvpc.sph.umich.edu/publications/
Learn More About Clean & Green
Want to learn more about how community groups improve the appearance of the neighborhoods and provide jobs for local residents? Watch this short video about Clean & Green
For more information on Clean & Green contact Carma Lewis, by phone at 810-429-2674 or email cleangreen@thelandbank.org.
