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Leith Street, just west of James Cole Boulevard, is shown at the point where it enters the old Buick City site on the east in Flint. City officials and community leaders say the closing of automotive factories in Flint is one cause of the city's high poverty rate.

(Ron Fonger | The Flint Journal)

FLINT, MI -- Flint has so many people living below the poverty line, many don't even realize they are poor -- for them, it seems normal, experts say.

According to the U.S. Census, 40.1 percent of the city's population is living in poverty. That makes Flint the second most poverty-stricken city in the nation for its size, just behind Youngstown, Ohio.

"A lot of people are not even aware of how it affects them, because they haven't been exposed to anything different," said Dr. Recco S. Richardson, a clinical therapist for Hurley Mental Health in Flint and North Oakland Family Counseling in Clarkston. "If you don't know you are short, you don't think about being short until you are around tall people. You have a group of people in Flint that are not aware of the fallout or the detriment. They are just living day to day."

Richardson, who said he has counseled thousands of children and some parents, said some people may think $11 per hour is a lot of pay in Flint, especially when they are getting government assistance.

"Making $11 per hour while receiving rent and food assistance may seem like a lot to some," he said. "I actually have children that I counsel who say they just need a job that pays $11 to $12 a hour."

According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, 130,095 people in Genesee County are using food stamp assistance now compared with 87,847 in 2005. The agency saw an increase from 2005 to 2011. The numbers began to decrease in 2012 and has been on a steady decline since then.

The median income for Flint residents between 2009 and 2013 was $24,834 a year. The state's median income was $48,411.

Flint Mayor Dayne Walling said the city is trying to tackle the poverty issue. He said plans include education and economic development in the city's schools and better arming residents with skills needed for the job market.

"We have worked and created partnerships with colleges and schools for skill building and literacy," Walling said. "Today, our community has a common framework. Economic development and education fall hand in hand."

Flint came in just under Youngstown, Ohio, where data show 40.7 percent of the population is living in poverty. It was also revealed that Detroit has an impoverished population of 39.3 percent.

Flint is far below the state's 16.2 percent poverty rate.

"A number of Michigan cities struggle with the high concentration of poverty," Walling said. "The state's poverty rate is higher than the national average. It's hard for any one family to survive with income below the poverty line. Having a large number of families in poverty puts extra strain on the community and makes it even more difficult to rebound during difficult times."

Since 2005, an estimated 5,000 abandoned homes have been demolished in the city. The population dropped below 100,000 for the first time since the '20s, according to the 2013 Census. In addition, Flint Community Schools lost its seat as the largest school district in the county to Grand Blanc.

Last school year, Flint had a little more than 300 high school graduates while Grand Blanc had more than 600.

Flint Community Schools Superintendent Bilal Tawwab said it is an issue that he is hoping to start tackling this school year, including adding early warning signs to better help children become college ready by their senior year -- a move Walling said is also in the city's master plan.

"With the city's new comprehensive plan in place, there's a framework to provide more educational opportunities to workers, which attracts more business investments, which creates a more powerful economic cycle," Tawwab said. "I believe that greater economic prosperity starts with individuals gaining greater skills and education. That's what opens doors to do better."