Residents of one Southwest Detroit neighborhood witnessed a recent transformation courtesy of the city’s innovative, new construction trades program. Members of the Access for All training initiative, launched by the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund, gained hands-on experience by cleaning up five parcels of vacant land in Springwells Village, as part of a collaboration with Urban […]
The city is looking to strike a blow against blight with a $1.7 million deal to buy 400 units of public housing. Among the units in a proposal with the Detroit Housing Commission are 127 single-family homes, the Lee Plaza and Woodland Apartments, as part of a vision that could ultimately create more housing and […]
The topic of metro Detroit senior living hits close to home, literally, for Tahirih Ziegler. Aside from her professional charge as executive director of Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC), she has a mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s and lives in a nursing facility. What Ziegler’s mom has in common with many local seniors, healthy […]
Rainy days were giving Lillie Gibson something even worse than the blues. A resident of the same east side Detroit home since 1969, Gibson began equating soggy days outdoors with soggy days indoors, after her roof began to deteriorate. Almost 600 homeowners have been approved for work. “I was sitting here one day and it […]
As she traveled between Detroit and Ghana, contributing her skills to the building of a medical facility in the African nation, Betty Wright noticed something changing. It was her neighborhood. The nine years she spent flying across the ocean before the former nurse re-settled in her East Jefferson Avenue condo brought ebbs and flows. Stately […]
It had been quite some time since Sakina Smith and her children felt comfortable going home. They were among the many residents of the Colony and Fisher Arms apartments, an East Jefferson Avenue landmark that became known around Detroit as a destination to avoid. Suspected drug dealers and other loiterers held court at all hours […]
It started with a simple idea. A thought that Detroit’s neighborhood residents needed a rallying point. Something that would showcase the big city pride that lives in our hearts and is evidenced across our residential blocks. The idea that mushroomed into a citywide phenomenon that has included more than 1,400 community events in the past […]
More Detroiters are sharing the city’s wealth. A devoted core of civic leaders, residents and community-minded professional developers are bringing investment to areas in need of the same nurturing other parts of the city – namely downtown and Midtown – have received. Plans are underway to stabilize core neighborhoods that are already densely populated and […]
When it comes to physical activity, 9-year-old Makayla Long has a secret weapon. Drinking chocolate milk, or sometimes strawberry-flavored, gives her the special boost she occasionally needs to handle tough competitors at school recess. “It feels like I have lots of energy,” says Makayla. “It feels like I’m super-fast and everybody else is super-slow.” Calcium […]
It’s not the typical bed and breakfast advertisement. “Hey, I’m Rita!” reads the caption beside a pretty woman’s smiling face. “I am originally from the Midwest, but my latest adventures have brought me working and living in New York City.” A brief description of Rita’s interests and profile information, including her graduation from the University […]