Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency

Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, a tax-exempt nonprofit community development corporation based in Detroit, Michigan, operates as a prime recipient of federal grants focused on comprehensive housing and supportive services for homeless, at-risk, and low-income populations across Wayne County and Michigan. The organization does not hold federal contracts or prime contract vehicles but maintains an active grant portfolio as recipient and subrecipient across HUD, HHS, VA, USDA, and DOE programs.

Wayne Metro's grant portfolio centers on homelessness prevention and housing stability services. The organization holds multiple prime recipient awards under the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) Program (CFDA 14.267), which collectively provide funding for permanent supportive housing, rapid rehousing, transitional housing, supportive services, and Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) operations. Recent prime CoC awards include a $2.22 million grant effective October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026; a $1.619 million award dated December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026; a $1.158 million award dated December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026; and a $604,099 award dated October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026, with additional smaller CoC allocations ranging from $230,000 to $550,608. The organization also received a $58.3 million five-year Head Start program grant (CFDA 93.600) from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Head Start, awarded July 31, 2025, supporting comprehensive early childhood education and family support services for low-income children and families through July 30, 2030. Veterans Affairs Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program awards (CFDA 64.033) have provided funding for outreach, case management, and temporary financial assistance to very low-income veteran families; recent awards include $1.284 million and prior allocations of $1.4 million, $568,641, and $114,217. Wayne Metro also received a $531,283 Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) sub-award from Michigan State Housing Development Authority to serve the Out-Wayne County Continuum of Care as fiduciary agent, and a Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control grant from HUD's Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control running through March 14, 2026. Additional prime grants include a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) award from the Internal Revenue Service and Green Jobs Rapid Cycle Impact funding from HHS Office of Community Services.

Customer concentration is heavily weighted toward HUD's Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development, which accounts for 174 awards (55% of the portfolio) across the CoC and related homelessness programs. The Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families follows with 23 awards, driven by Head Start and related early childhood programming. The Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service holds 14 awards, the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration 11 awards, and the Department of Energy 10 awards. These five agencies represent approximately 73% of recent awards. Across the broader grant ecosystem, Wayne Metro also acts as a sub-recipient under prime awards from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan Department of Education, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network, Homeless Action Network of Detroit, and the National Foundation for the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, delivering services in Community Services Block Grant, weatherization assistance, emergency housing support, housing counseling, workforce development, and vaccine equity programs.

Activity has grown substantially, rising from 20 awards in 2022 to 49 in 2023 before moderating to 46 in 2024 and 34 in 2025, reflecting a mature grant portfolio with recurring annual cycles in HUD CoC funding and state pass-through awards. Ten awards face ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months. The organization demonstrates extensive federal grant management capacity, having served as a Community Action Agency with established infrastructure for administering HUD, HHS, VA, and USDA funding across housing, early childhood education, veteran services, and economic development initiatives since at least 2004. Sub-recipient relationships are predominantly pass-through arrangements where Wayne Metro delivers services on behalf of state agencies and local partners, with a significant fiduciary agent role managing ESG and other homelessness funding streams for countywide Continuum of Care networks.