Make It Home partnership helps nearly 100 more families become homeowners
Anita Graves was at risk of losing her Detroit home due to probate issues after her mother passed away. Through the Make it Home program, she became one of 96 program participants this year to gain the security of owning the home they were at risk of losing.
The Rocket Community Fund, Mayor Mike Duggan and the United Community Housing Coalition (UCHC) announced this week that 96 more Detroit families will become homeowners through the Make It Home program this year.
The majority of these households are families that have been paying rent to their landlords, only to find the landlord had not been paying taxes, sending the home into tax foreclosure and putting them at risk of being displaced.
Since the program's 2017 launch, 1,600 Detroit families have not only avoided eviction but have become the owner of their home.
Make It Home leverages the City of Detroit’s right of refusal, allowing the City to purchase properties before the tax foreclosure auction for the value of the back taxes owed, or two times the state equalized value (SEV) if a Claim of Interest was filed by the previous owner. These properties are then purchased by the United Community Housing Coalition using funding from Rocket Community Fund and others.
UCHC sells the properties to the occupants through a zero-percent interest land contract with a payment plan that enables each resident to make payments into an escrow account for roughly a year until they reach the purchase price for their property.
This year, families paid an average of $6,500 to achieve homeownership. Upon completing their payments, they receive the deed to their property, while also gaining access to home repair grants, loans and financial counseling provided through the program.
Rides to Care offers free transportation to doctor visits for new & expectant Detroit mothers
Left to right: Mayor Duggan, Anastasia (a mother using Rides to Care service), Skylar and Ms. Hodges
All Detroit women who are pregnant and anyone who takes care of an infant up to age one can receive free transportation to and from prenatal doctor visits, plus one full year of postpartum visits and pediatric visits for the baby, through a new program called Rides to Care.
The Rides to Care service is available Monday through Saturday to healthcare providers located within the city of Detroit and surrounding areas (up to five miles outside the city limits). The program removes a common barrier to expectant moms and their babies from receiving proper care: access to transportation.
Rides to Care is available through the Detroit Health Department in partnership with Uber Health, a HIPAA-enabled platform that provides non-emergency medical transportation.
For more information on the Rides to Care services, call (313) 876-0000 or visit detroitmi.gov/RidesToCare.
Detroit’s drinking water is safe; recent federally required notification caused public concern
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) has distributed federally-required annual notices informing the public of water service line material which raised unintended alarm about the quality of drinking water.
The notifications are about service line inventory and do not change the long-known fact that Detroit’s drinking water is safe.
The new annual notifications are required of all communities with municipal water service and lead service lines, mandated by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as part of the Lead & Copper Rule. The yearly letters will continue until all lead service lines are replaced.
The water service line is the pipe that delivers treated drinking water from the City’s water main to inside the home or business. There is no lead in the water distribution system.
DWSD estimates there are 80,000 lead service lines in Detroit. Since 2018, DWSD has replaced 11,335 lead service lines to date and has accelerated the pace of replacement since 2023 with $90 million in federal funding and will soon add $30 million in local bond funds.
Utilizing a neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach, areas are being prioritized based on low-income Census tracts, density of children or seniors in the homes, and age of housing stock. For a list of current and upcoming neighborhoods, visit detroitmi.gov/lslr.
Detroit earns ninth consecutive perfect score on national index for protection of LGBTQ+ community
The City of Detroit has received its ninth consecutive 100 score (maximum) on the 2024 Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index (MEI) scoreboard.
Each year, the Human Rights Campaign publishes the MEI which evaluates more than 500 cities nationally on their inclusivity laws and policies for the LGBTQ+ community.
Since 2016, Detroit has earned the score of 100 points, the most any city can be awarded. This year, only five other cities in Michigan also received perfect scores. Detroit earned all 100 possible base points for offering services for LGBTQ+ youth and for having openly LGBTQ+ appointed members of City government.
The City of Detroit continues to strengthen its commitment to policies and practices that support members of the LGBTQ+ community, with this year’s score reflecting Detroit’s dedication to fairness, inclusivity, and equality for all residents.
Historic long-vacant Higginbotham school to be transformed into affordable housing, community space
Mayor Duggan, City officials and community members gathered this week to break ground for the Higginbotham Art Residences, a transformative project that will convert the historic William E. Higginbotham School into 100 units of affordable housing.
Located in Detroit’s Eight-Mile-Wyoming neighborhood, the $35.9 million redevelopment will preserve an important cultural city landmark while addressing critical affordable housing needs.
Constructed in 1926, Higginbotham School served as an all-Black elementary school during an era of restrictive housing practices, symbolizing resilience and community solidarity.
With support from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, MSHDA funding, and City ARPA funds, the project will breathe new life into the building, creating affordable homes and fostering community-oriented spaces for Detroit residents.
The property will feature an outdoor sculpture garden and showcase artwork throughout the development, produced by Detroit artists.
Through Detroit For Life, there are a myriad of programs Detroit residents can use to open a business, gain employment, pursue a career, get home repairs, get assistance in buying a home, earn free college tuition and more.
Another program residents of Detroit can take advantage of is the City's Neighborhood Beautification Program.
Detroit launches $500,000 fund to invest in legacy small businesses
The Detroit Legacy Business Project (DBLP), announced this week by the Mayor's Office, City Council President Mary Sheffield, the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and community supporters, aims to sustain long-standing small businesses across Detroit.
The program will provide financial and technical assistance to qualifying businesses. A total of 16 grants will be awarded: two businesses from each of Detroit’s seven council districts will receive $15,000, plus two citywide grants of $50,000 each.
Awards will allow businesses to grow and thrive through meaningful investments in product inventory, equipment, building beautification, business consulting and other allowable uses.
To qualify for grant funding, businesses must have operated continuously in Detroit for 30-plus years and demonstrate their impact on the city’s cultural identity through their products, services and community engagement. The program specifically targets independently owned and operated businesses that maintain physical locations accessible to the public.
The application period is now open and closes on December 23 at 8 a.m. Grant recipients will be announced on February 21, 2025.
Parlay Detroit celebrates grand opening in downtown
Mayor Duggan joined local leaders and business partners to celebrate the grand opening of Parlay Detroit, a new sports bar, restaurant, and cigar lounge co-owned by former Detroit Lions player Joique Bell.
Parlay Detroit, located at 1260 Washington Boulevard, moved into the space that formerly housed Detroit Beer Exchange.
Along with the bar and restaurant, the location also offers a cigar lounge with a humidor and VIP areas. A speakeasy and lounge is also expected to open in the lower level in early 2025.
Toyota Mobility Foundation announces Semi-Finalists for $3M Global Clean Freight Challenge
The Toyota Mobility Foundation announced the ten semi-finalists for the Sustainable Cities Challenge, a global competition designed to develop innovative solutions for Detroit’s iconic Eastern Market. The challenge invited global innovators to propose strategies to decrease fossil fuel use and reduce freight operations costs in Eastern Market.
The selection process for semi-finalists was facilitated by Challenge Works in partnership with Toyota Mobility Foundation, Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, the City of Detroit, and industry experts.
This two-stage, three-year $9-million global initiative, launched in May 2024, attracted 72 submissions from around the world. Of the total prize pool, $3 million is dedicated specifically to Detroit-focused solutions, all funded by the Toyota Mobility Foundation.
The Toyota Mobility Foundation launched the Sustainable Cities Challenge with an aim to fund solutions for mobility barriers, foster city-innovator collaborations, and host a global capacity-building academy.
The challenge entries were selected based on their potential to reduce fossil fuel use, introduce innovative solutions for Eastern Market freight, demonstrate business adoption potential, showcase mature technology, as well as exhibit scalability and strong delivery capacity.
Mayor Duggan will not seek re-election, sets vision for final year in office
Mayor Mike Duggan gathered City leaders and employees last week to announce he will not seek re-election as Detroit’s mayor in 2025.
Duggan expressed his gratitude to Detroiters who have played an instrumental role in the city’s resurgence and outlined a plan for his final year in office - building on current momentum, continuing to expand opportunities in every neighborhood, and emphasizing the importance of retaining and attracting young talent to strengthen Detroit’s future.
After more than a decade of hard work and partnerships, Detroit’s population grew for the first time in more than 60 years. That growth was the result of sustained focus on issues that plagued Detroit for decades.
Deputy Mayor, developer celebrate opening of The Beauton, an $7.3M affordable housing project
Deputy Mayor Melia Howard, City Council members and Detroit developer Charles Dickerson III cut the ribbon last week on a new multi-family affordable housing development in Detroit’s North End.
The Beauton, a $7.3-million, mixed-use building will bring another 29 units of new affordable housing to Detroit.
The Beauton is the first from the ground up project for Charles Dickerson and his company CADS III Management.
Detroit at Work provides information on in-demand careers and training programs for jobs in growing career sectors in healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, construction and transportation, energy and utilities, and small business.
City of Detroit offering Community Emergency Response Team training
The DetroitOffice of Homeland Security & Emergency Management (DHSEM) will hold its next training class for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers on November 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Detroit Police Department’s 4th Precinct at 4700 W. Fort.
The free CERT training includes disaster preparedness, fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AED), how to bandage wounds, how to treat burns, fractures, strains, and hypothermia, and other life-saving techniques.
To register for the training, visit detroitmi.gov/dhsem and search for CERT. For more information, call (313) 596-1742.
Announcements!
Saturday, Nov. 23 • 10 a.m.
D1 Monthly meeting at Detroit Manufacturing Systems (12601 Artesian). Virtual meeting here.
Monday, Nov. 25 • 5 p.m.
Small business 'Meet the Buyer' Procurement Forum at CAYMC (2 Woodward). Register here.
Monday, Nov. 25 • 6 - 7:30 p.m.
D7 Housing Policy session at Edison Library (18400 Joy Rd.). Register here.
