We are currently experiencing a double pandemic of a deadly virus and the disease of racism on Black communities across our nation. Trayvon Martin. Eric Garner. Mike Brown. Sandra Bland. Philando Castile. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. These are a few names of Black Americans that have died by the hands of law enforcement […]
by Steve Palackdharry Walter Zalenski is beginning his new career as a truck driver. He is 57 years old, and is four months removed from a prison term. “After being cooped up for six years, the idea of the open road is very appealing to me,” Walter says. He has been hired by a trucking […]
Every neighborhood needs more local problem solvers. And, for some, new arrivals are anticipated soon. Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) is making a national push to lift 13 urban communities through an AmeriCorps program hoped to develop and deploy neighborhood change agents. A $3 million investment has been devoted to dispatching 165 AmeriCorps members, including 14 […]
Mayor Mike Duggan promises a “city for everyone.” But getting from “here” to “there” in a city that has more than 10,000 homeless and a whopping one third of residents living below the poverty level is admittedly going to be a challenging task. In order to be successful, Duggan must bridge the gap between the […]
Detroit is a city of opportunity, innovation and investment. We can become a leader in urban revitalization’s best practices if we can commit to providing inclusive housing options for all Detroiters: our long-time residents, recent transplants, and especially the community’s most vulnerable. But there’s a formula for success. Implementing multi-dimensional housing solutions and strategies to […]
Home on Detroit’s east side during a college break, Maggie DeSantis’ daughter made an announcement. Her community had begun to feel like it was a foreign place. “I’m not living here,” she said, “because the neighborhood is changing in a way I’m not comfortable with.” DeSantis, former head of the Eastside Community Network, immediately knew […]
An old concept is getting new attention among various developers in Detroit and nationally. Mixed income housing is regaining interest as communities work to pick up the pieces left behind after the past decade’s mortgage crisis and as members of the corporate and private sector search for fertile ground in struggling urban cities. With Detroit […]