As always, there were a number of very informative sessions held throughout the day, and plenty of goodies available in the display hall.
Tomorrow's lunch will feature the awards ceremony, starting at 11:30 a.m. For those who don't remember, the Trust Fund's Immediate Past Chair, Gene Kuthy, was the recipient of last year's prestigious Terrence R. Duvernay Award (which you can read more here). We're looking forward to seeing who takes home the top award this year, so stay tuned for more updates.
In the meantime, here are a few pictures from the first day of the conference. Enjoy!
Jeannette Walls, MSNBC
Jeannette Walls, MSNBC
The Trust Fund's display booth – stop on by and say hello!
Well, the first day of the Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing is finally here. Our staff will be at the Lansing Center for all three days of the conference, so if you're planning on attending, please stop by our booth (#66) in the display hall to say hi and pick up some free goodies.
The weather forecast for the Lunch on the Lawn is looking pretty good right now: sunny skies, with a high of 64°. Remember, if you haven't had a chance to register yet, you can still do so over on the Living in Michigan website. You can also view a map of all available parking lots here.
We'll try to post some notes and a few pictures from the first day of the conference by tomorrow morning, so check back for more updates.
While the piece doesn't explicitly have anything to do with affordable housing, a few passages caught our eye:
“My ultimate goal is to be a painter, but I also need to be financially stable,” Reach says. “I like Michigan a lot, but I’m also attracted to the big city.”
Like many of their peers graduating with degrees in a creative field this year, Reach and Asghar don’t plan on taking residence and working in the Lansing-area or even the state of Michigan. Instead they will make their way to established cultural centers, like New York, Chicago, Los Angeles or Portland, Ore. Although they appreciate the efforts made by the local cultural community, many of the graduates can’t see a place for themselves in it as the state’s budget woes worsen and funding for the arts continues to dwindle. For some, the attraction to find others like themselves is too strong.
“People are trying really hard,” Asghar says of those in the local art scene. “I don’t think the community is making enough of an effort.”
The allure of big cities like New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles is hard for anyone to ignore, especially young artists who are seeking communities that offer a rich cultural experience to live in after graduation. But that's part of the problem for Michigan –– we need to be able to compete with these big cities by building communities that the next generation of young, creative workers want (and can afford) to live in.
Fortunately, there is still hope that we can turn things around...
But Berding says Lansing is in a unique position to appeal to those same artists because of untapped resources, including vacant buildings, affordable living and riverfront property, and he has been encouraged by how much conversation has been dedicated to this subject recently. “The spirit is there,” he says.
“I think we’ve looked at creating an environment where [the arts] can flourish,” [East Lansing Arts Coordinator Sharon Radtke] says.
Likewise, Randy Hannan, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero’s deputy chief of staff, says the city of Lansing is working to create a setting that is sympathetic to the arts.
“Retaining the creative class is absolutely necessary for the success of the city,” Hannan says.
There is no magic bullet to reverse this "brain drain," but it seems clear that the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund can be part of the solution:
If Michigan's economy is to experience true transformation, there must be a connection between the creation of jobs and the availability of safe, high quality, affordably priced housing. And, for companies from across the country to considering re-locating to Michigan — or to encourage existing Michigan companies to stay — we must prove that we can maintain a state full of vibrant cities where their workers will want to live.
If you want to show your support for the Living in Michigan campaign, next Wednesday is the day to do it. There's still time to join the coalition, contact your state legislators to voice your support, and register for the free Lunch on the Lawn. We'll see you at the Capitol!
Volunteers Needed
If you're coming to Advocacy Day: Lunch on the Lawn and would be willing to volunteer, we'd love your help. Of course, you still get your free lunch as well as see this historic event come together from the inside out. We just need your name, phone number and e-mail by the end of the day today. Please email this information to laura@donovanandsmith.com. We look forward to working with you and having some fun during this historic event.Advocacy Day: You Might Want to Know...
About parking. Although there is metered parking on the all streets around the Capitol square, it is not adequate to handle the number of attendees we expect. There are six parking ramps within three blocks of the Capitol. Here are their locations:• Boji Parking Ramp at the corner of Capitol and Allegan
• Public Ramp at the corner of Townsend and Washtenaw
• City Parking Ramp at Capitol and Kalamazoo
• City Parking Ramp at the intersection of Allegan and Grand
• City Parking Ramp at Ottawa and Grand
• City Parking Ramp at Capitol and Shiawassee
• You can view a map of all available parking lots here
About legislators. If you haven't called your legislator to let him or her know you are coming on May 2nd, you should. We want for each of our lawmakers to respond by showing up to see you.
About Michigan Conference on
Affordable Housing Attendees. There will be a loop of handicap-accessible vans going from the Lansing Center to the Capitol. While we would love for the media to see hundreds of people walk from the Lansing Center to the Capitol, we recognize a three-block trek isn't possible for everyone. Therefore, we will have transportation available at the entrance to the Lansing Center. Additionally, conference attendees can stop by the Living In Michigan booth and make a colorful sign to wave during your walk from the Lansing Center to the Capitol.
- Historic Timeline: The Trust Fund
has been around for quite some time. Check out
this timeline to learn a little bit about the
history of our organization.
- Calendar: Our Google calendar
includes all the major events coming up in our
industry. If you would like us to include your
organization's event, all you have to do is
send us an email to let us know
about it. You can also subscribe to the calendar feed via
email to have updates delivered directly to
your inbox.
- The Naimark Fund: Last September,
we set up the Naimark Fund to honor one of our
founding board members, Norm Naimark. This page
includes an account of Norm's remarkable life,
and a number of inspiring quotes from his
family, friends, and colleagues.
- Achievements: The Achievements
page includes some interesting facts about the
impact our work is having across the state, and
some quotes from our borrowers and investors
about their experiences with the Trust Fund.
- Search: You will find a search bar in the right-hand column of every page on our website. Whenever you need to find something on the site, just type in your inquiry, and you'll be taken to an easy-to-use Google results page.
Remember, if you will be attending the Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing, there won't be any lunch served at the Lansing Center on Wednesday, so the Capitol is the place to be, rain or shine.
Of course, even if you can't make it to the conference, we still encourage people to come to the lunch and support the Living in Michigan campaign.
If you haven't had a chance yet, you can register for the event here. Don't be afraid to invite your friends, family, and coworkers too!
For this year's Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing, the Trust Fund will be giving out screwdrivers in the conference tote bags. The screwdrivers are meant to tie-in with the work of one of our borrowers, the Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit (ASWD).
The Trust Fund is extremely proud of the amazing work and community leadership exhibited by ASWD. After closing another loan with the Trust Fund during 2006, ASWD will be among those honored at this year's Borrowers' & Burners' Luncheon on June 6 in Lansing.
To learn more about ASWD, be sure to visit their website. You can also see more pictures of ASWD's facility in Detroit here.
Remember, your investments and donations make the Trust Fund's loans to organizations like ASWD possible. We appreciate your continued support!
There will be a variety of educational sessions available during the conference, organized under the following tracks:
• Asset Building for Families & Individuals
• Community Economic Development
• Creating and Preserving Multifamily Housing
• Ending Homelessness
• Homeownership
• Organizational Development
For folks coming in from out of town, remember, the Radisson Hotel, Sheraton Lansing Hotel, and Country Inn & Suites hotels are all full. However, the conference still has rooming blocks saved at:
Howard Johnson
1100 Trowbridge Rd, East Lansing MI 48823 (Map)
517-351-5500, Group Rate- $74.99
If you haven't had a chance yet, you can still register for the conference here. Also, don't forget that you can sign up for the 9th annual CEDAM-bration on May 1 by printing out this registration form (PDF).
If you can only make it to Lansing for one day of the conference this year, we encourage you to come on Wednesday, May 2 for Advocacy Day. You can register for the free Lunch on the Lawn at the State Capitol here.
- Habitat of Michigan 11th Annual Awards Banquet
Wednesday April 25 - Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing
Monday April 30 - Wednesday May 2 - Advocacy Day/Lunch on the Lawn
Wednesday May 2, 11am - 1pm - Michigan Nonprofit Association SuperConference
Tuesday May 15 - Wednesday May 16 - Trust Fund Borrowers' & Burners' Luncheon
Wednesday June 6, 12pm - 2pm
Being named a City of Promise provides the city with a team of representatives from several state departments that will work with city officials on the Pontiac Partnership Committee toward specific goals. Pontiac is one of eight cities to receive the designation. The others are Benton Harbor, Detroit, Flint, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Muskegon Heights and Saginaw.
These pilot cities are experiencing sometimes devastating conditions because of declining population, extreme poverty, loss of industry and jobs, crumbling infrastructure and blighted neighborhoods, Granholm said when she announced the concept.
Each city must designate a signature project that will have a major effect on the city, said Charles Tucker, interim executive director of the Growth Group, the city's economic development arm.
Granholm said she expects that bringing together the best resources of the cities and state will enable the cities to address their highest priorities.
The hope also is that elevating the focus on these cities will motivate legislators to provide funding for projects.
Eighteen state agencies are taking part in the initiative.
They are the departments of Education, Civil Rights, Labor and Economic Growth, Transportation, Environmental Quality, Military and Veterans Affairs, Michigan State Police, Human Services, Community Health, Michigan Economic Development Corp., Natural Resources, Treasury, Management and Budget, Agriculture, Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Information Technology and Corrections.
The Trust Fund has been working with MSHDA on the Cities of Promise initiative for some time now. Starting this year, our economic development loan program will be actively targeting its lending efforts in each of the eight Cities of Promise.
State officials will be making a presentation about the five-year initiative at the Pontiac City Council meeting tonight. This meeting will be held in the Pontiac City Hall on Woodward Avenue and Pike Street at 7 PM.
We'll be writing more about the Cities of Promise over the coming months, so stay tuned for more updates...
Our April Newsletter is done, and available for your reading pleasure. You can hop over to the eNewsletter page to read all four articles, check out the PDF version, or wait for the hard copy to arrive via snail mail.
Remember, if you would like to receive a hard copy of the newsletter, you can sign up to add yourself to our mailing list –– it only takes a few seconds!
Here are the topics for this month's newsletter: As always, thanks for reading, and enjoy!
We'll be mailing out formal invitations for our annual Borrowers' & Burners' Luncheon in a few weeks, but the online registration form is already available here on our website, for those who are interested.
The event will take place on June 6 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. Registration will begin at noon, and lunch will be served at 12:30.
As always, we have a fun game planned for our guests. We’re resurrecting an old favorite… one we know you can survive. Don’t miss it!
You can view a list of the 2006 borrowers here, and a list of the mortgage burners here.
DETROIT -- Finding more permanent, affordable housing for the 14,000 homeless in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park is the centerpiece of a new 10-year strategy to end the problem where it is the worst in the state.
The plan, called Moving Forward Together, was unveiled Monday before city leaders and homeless advocates.
It stresses that homeless people should receive permanent housing before getting treatment for substance abuse, mental health or other issues.
Michigan is the only state in the nation where every community has a plan to address homelessness, said Michael DeVos, executive director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority.
Detroit's strategy is important, DeVos said, because there are 50,692 homeless people in Michigan in 2006 and most of them lived in Detroit, Hamtramck or Highland Park.
"Today is a day of hope," DeVos said. "It is about us becoming a community and community doing things differently."
"It takes a whole lot of folks working together to create revolutionary transformation," Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said Monday. "I believe with all of my heart we can end homelessness in the city of Detroit."
Remember, you can show your support for affordable housing issues by attending this morning's meeting of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development in Lansing.
307 House Office Building
Lansing, MI, 9AM.
If you are a member of the Living in Michigan campaign, and will be in the Lansing area tomorrow, please feel free to come show your support for the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund.
Remember, if you haven't had a chance yet, be sure to join the coalition, register for Lunch on the Lawn, and contact your legislators.
We have some new pictures from Ruth Ellis Center (REC) to share! You can check out the updated photo slideshow here.
Here's a little background info for those who aren't familiar with REC. Be sure to check out the complete article about our loan to RCE from last July's Community Quarterly Newsletter (PDF):
Since opening in 1999, REC has established over 10,000 street contacts, served more than 12,000 meals, and handled over 5,000 phone calls for help and referrals.
With a loan from the Michigan Interfaith Trust Fund in 2002, Ruth Ellis Center was able to acquire and rehabilitate a side-by-side duplex at 612/616 East Philadelphia in Detroit. Ruth’s House, named in honor of Ruth Ellis, a woman who opened her home to Detroit’s GLBTQ youth, hosts nine GLBTQ teens and young adults with a complement of four full-time staff. The intention is to offer teens and young adults the necessary skills to live independently. These young adults typically have a multitude of developmental issues, but with the guidance of REC’s developmental and progressively designed program, are able to successfully transition into self-sufficiency.
You can learn more about Ruth Ellis Center by visiting the organization's website, and reading this article from last week's edition of Between the Lines. Also, for a little background on Ruth Ellis, the woman, take a look at this Wikipedia page.
Well, after doing some more research online, we stumbled across this article from the Winter 2006 edition of Shelterforce: "The Case for a Right to Housing."
In the piece, Chester Hartman, co-editor of the book A Right to Housing, makes the case for a right to housing by putting it into the context with other rights Americans have come to expect. The entire article is worth a read, but this particular passage echoes the Living In Michigan campaign's case for the MHCDF quite nicely:
Housing is more than four walls and a roof: It is part of a neighborhood and community, providing opportunities for positive social interaction and safety from crime. Housing location affects access to quality schools, jobs and community services.
The societal costs - added health services to deal with housing-linked problems such as asthma, lead poisoning, rat bites, asphyxiation, communicable diseases; emergency fire and police services; crime and incarceration; services for the homeless; and so on - of not having decent, affordable housing for all are enormous and growing. A true cost-benefit analysis might show that not having a Right to Housing is far more costly, in economic terms alone, than not implementing such a right.
Remember, if you haven't had a chance yet, be sure to join the coalition, register for Lunch on the Lawn, and contact your legislators.
Linda Smith is executive director of the non-profit group United Streets Networking and Planning: Building a Community or U-SNAP-BAC -- a consortium of community and business organizations working together to empower residents to impact the future of Detroit's East Side. U-SNAP-BAC's mission is to provide safe, decent and affordable homes for families of low-to-moderate income.
U-SNAP-BAC is a former Trust Fund borrower. Last May, the organization was honored at our Borrowers' & Burners' Luncheon in Lansing, after U-SNAP-BAC successfully repaid a Trust Fund loan in 2005.
Vickie Thomas of WWJ Radio interviewed Linda Smith yesterday afternoon, and their discussion about urban renewal on Detroit's East Side can be downloaded here.
This morning, the Michigan House of Representatives "New Economy and Quality of Life" Committee, Chaired by Rep. Ed Clemente, convened in Lansing to hear testimony about the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund.
Michael DeVos, Executive Director of MSHDA, began by presenting a brief overview of MSHDA's mission, goals, and achievements to the committee members. A PDF of Mr. DeVos' PowerPoint Presentation can be downloaded here.
Following Mr. DeVos' testimony, Rep. Steve Tobocman –– who has been an advocate of affordable housing and economic development issues for well over ten years –– spoke briefly before the committee, and encouraged his colleagues to support the MHCDF. Chairman Clemente thanked Rep. Tobocman for his testimony, and complimented him for his passion on this issue.
After Rep. Tobocman was finished, the Chairman invited a panel of speakers representing the Living in Michigan coalition to offer testimony in support of the MHCDF.
Former MSHDA Executive Director, and current Chief Operating Officer of the Great Lakes Capital Fund, Jim Logue, spoke first. Mr. Logue explained that Michigan currently lacks the housing infrastructure that will be needed to attract and retain knowledgeable workers. These workers, he argued, are the ones who will transform Michigan's economy, and they will be looking for affordable housing and vibrant communities before they choose to live in Michigan.
Scott Larry, President of the Michigan Housing Council, Marcia Kruecher, Executive Director of the Community Action Agency, Dennis Sturtevant, CEO of Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, and Ken Benson, President of Habitat for Humanity of Michigan, also gave testimony at today's hearing. Each panelist cited specific success stories from their work, and explained why their organizations support the Fund.
The Living in Michigan coalition had a strong presence at this morning's hearing. There was a crowd of 30-40 people in the gallery –– including five Trust Fund staff members –– representing numerous organizations from diverse backgrounds. Following the panel's testimony, Chairman Clemente opened up the discussion to the audience for remarks. Several people, including Trust Fund president Christine Coady, took a moment to introduce themselves and tell the committee why they support the MHCDF.
Overall, today's committee hearing went well. The State Representatives were impressed by the large crowd that came to support the MHCDF, and seemed receptive to the panel's testimony.
Most likely, representatives from MSHDA will be invited back at a later date to present more detailed testimony before the committee. Until then, stay tuned to the blog and LivingInMichigan.org for more updates...
The House New Economy and Quality of Life Committee will be meeting at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday) in Room 521 of the Anderson House Office Building (124 North Capitol) to hear testimony from MSHDA and our coalition. We need to fill the room. All attendees will need to fill out a card indicating no desire to speak but rather to show support of MHCDF funding (cards will be on tables near the entrance). Typically, the cards are read at the end of the hearing.
Our speakers include:
Jim Logue, COO, Great Lakes Cap Fund
Scott Larry, President, Michigan Housing Council
Marsha Kreucher, CEO, Jackson Area Community Action Agency
Denny Sturtevant, Executive Director, Dwelling Place, Grand Rapids
Please make every effort to support our coalition and help create energy around our initiative by attending this important committee hearing.
Those needing directions to the Anderson House building may click here for a map.
UPDATE: Representatives from the Trust Fund's staff will be at this morning's hearing. We'll have more updates later in the day. Stay tuned...
- According to Governing Magazine:
Michigan is ranked 48th in the
country on a per capita basis for its state revenue
support of affordable housing.
- As this issue is now on the table for Michigan,
38 states have already decided to help
address their critical housing needs by
establishing housing trust funds.
- Michigan is not attracting businesses
because we are not providing them with the real
incentive to which they will respond
— to be a partner with a vibrant, creative
state with momentum.
- The Housing and Community Development Fund
would leverage additional funding
from public and private sources. It is estimated
that housing projects will have a 1:3 ratio and
community development projects a 1:2 ratio.
- Thus, a $100 million program
(80% for housing/20% for community development)
will leverage an additional investment of
$280 million, create over 6,000 good paying jobs
and generate approximately $21 million in state and
local taxes!
- If Michigan's economy is to experience true
transformation, there must be a connection
between the creation of jobs and the availability
of safe, high quality, affordably priced
housing.
- In Michigan, data shows that 36% of our
homeless families are working. Families
with a single female as the head of household
comprise 59% of those families. And sadly,
56% of homeless persons in families were
children — most under the age of 10.
- If we do not make affordable housing available to these children and families, there is a greater likelihood that they will remain homeless as adults. If we do not choose to make affordable housing available to these children and families, the future cost to support them through public services will be devastating - placing a burden on Michigan’s taxpayers that will increase each year.
Over the years, the Trust Fund has financed several projects for Homestretch Housing, "a regional housing development organization that serves the counties of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau."
Like many of our borrowers...
HomeStretch is faced with the daunting challenge of providing quality, attractive, low- cost housing for a growing population of low-income families. Area wages are not keeping pace with rapidly rising real estate costs, making it very difficult for the region’s working families to afford adequate housing.
A lack of low-cost housing in local communities results in negative economic and social impacts, including labor shortages, high absenteeism, urban sprawl, financial hardships for working families, and increased homelessness.
To increase and maintain the capacity of affordable housing in Northwest Michigan, HomeStretch established a Community Land Trust (CLT). CLTs have a goal of establishing permanent stewardship of land that benefits the community, perpetuating the affordability of housing on that land. The model opens the door to homeownership for lower income individuals through long-term (usually 99-year), renewable ground leases. Essentially, the lessee leases the land but owns and holds the deed to their home.
The homebuyer benefits of the CLT model include: low purchase price, low down payment (usually 1% of the purchase price), federal income tax deductions, 100% return on equity, shared return on appreciation, and it is transferable to heirs. Similarly, the community benefits because the CLT preserves public investment and permanent affordability, promotes homeownership, improves neighborhoods, ensures responsible use, and diversifies housing choices.
On June 6, the Trust Fund will honor HomeStretch at our Borrowers' & Burners' Luncheon for closing one new loan, and successfully paying off another, in 2006. We've been proud supporters of HomeStretch's innovative work in Northwest Michigan for many years, and from the looks of it, we'll be honoring them at our annual luncheons for many years to come.
To learn more about HomeStretch, be sure to visit their website. This post references a newsletter article from last April, which you can read here. Photos originally came from the HomeStretch website.
The 2007 Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing is right around the corner: April 29 – May 2.
If you haven't already, be sure to register for the conference online.
Also, just as an update...
The Radisson Hotel is full. We have rooming blocks at the following hotels:
Sheraton Lansing Hotel, 925 S. Creyts Rd, Lansing MI 48917, Phone: 517-323-7100, Group Rate- $109.00
Country Inn & Suites, 6511 Centurion Dr., Lansing MI 48917, Phone: 517-827-7000, Group Rate- $79.00
If the hotels are already starting to fill up, I think we can expect another great crowd this year. Remember to keep an eye out for the Trust Fund's booth in the display hall. We'll see you at the Lansing Center!
Of course, while the blogosphere has been exploding all over the internet for the past few years, it still feels like there aren't a lot of Michigan-based nonprofits who have jumped in yet. The Michigan Nonprofit Association has a blog, and one of our borrowers, Dawn Farm, has a blog, but that's about it (at least, that we're aware of).
While the whole process can seem a bit foreign and intimidating at first, it's really not that hard to get started. For instance, the website TechSoup offers some great walkthroughs for would-be bloggers, which are definitely worth checking out if you're thinking about starting a blog:
- TechSoup: Nine
Lessons for Would-Be Bloggers
- TechSoup: Nine
More Lessons for Would-Be Bloggers
- TechSoup: Everything You Need to Know About Web 2.0
- Blogger:
Google's free blog creation/hosting service
- Wordpress:
Another free service (slightly more advanced)
- Livejournal: An online journal and community-building site
If your organization eventually decides to get started with a blog, and you would like to have it added it to our blogroll, just drop us a line, or post a link in the comment section of any post.
While our primary goal here is to showcase the Trust Fund, we also enjoy highlighting the work of our partners in the affordable housing and economic development industries, so don't be shy. Start a blog, join our growing online community, and keep us posted about what you're up to!
The Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund (MHCDF) is now front and center in the state budget debate after state House Democrats publicly announced Thursday that the MHCDF is a part of their "Road Map to Michigan's Recovery" plan. Clearly, your advocacy efforts and the work of the Coalition are striking a chord with the Legislature.
House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Township) unveiled the Road Map, which includes sweeping reforms to state and local government. House Majority Leader Steve Tobocman (D-Detroit) added that Democrats want to invest $100 million to boost community and neighborhood development as well as create more affordable housing to meet existing needs and support our emerging work force.
RECRUIT FOR ADVOCACY DAY, MAY 2
In order to have an accurate count for lunch, Coalition members, their affiliates and volunteers should log on to LivinginMichigan.org and register for "Lunch on the Lawn: Advocacy Day." Those attending the Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing need not register online as they have already been included in Advocacy Day event planning.
"Lunch on the Lawn: Advocacy Day" will take place Wednesday, May 2, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the state Capitol in downtown Lansing. A postcard will be sent to your state legislators to alert them that you will be attending the event. In addition, there will be postcards available at the Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing for conference attendees to send.
Yesterday afternoon, our Director of Lending, Wendy Landes Hatem, closed Dawn Farm's fifth loan with the Trust Fund.
Last fall, Dawn's President, Jim Balmer, spoke at our Evening for Economic Justice, and gave a wonderful presentation about the organization he's been involved with since it began in 1973. Mr. Balmer will again be recognized by the Trust Fund on June 6 at our Borrowers' & Burners' Luncheon, after Dawn Farm successfully paid off two loans in full and on-time last year.
Here's a little background history on Dawn Farm:
Dawn Farm began in 1973 using the combined incomes of the two founders, Gary Archie and Jack Scholtus. Using the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous and some borrowed ideas from a residential program in Quebec, they rented the Farm on Stoney Creek Road.
The goal of Dawn Farm is to assist addicts and alcoholics in achieving long term recovery.
Dawn Farm will identify and remove barriers that prevent addicts and alcoholics from joining the recovering community.
Dawn Farm offers a variety of programs to assist with long term recovery. The Chapin Street Project is a transitional housing program for recovering alcoholics and addicts that the Trust Fund made a loan to in 2001:
Chronic, homeless alcoholics and addicts have historically been untreated in the Ann Arbor community. Existing sheltering options seldom require that homeless clients engage in treatment for their addictions. Chapin Street offers a recovery-based solution —to help individuals find lasting self sufficiency.
The Chapin Street Project has now helped more than 600 men and women find independence through its unique and effective transitional housing program.
115 people entered our houses or apartments in 2004-using this safe and affordable housing as a support to finding a job and becoming responsible citizens.
Dawn Farm has been "providing Ann Arbor & Ypsilanti, Michigan with affordable, high quality alcoholism and drug addiction treatment since 1973," and the Trust Fund is proud to support their important work.
You can learn more about Dawn Farm by visiting their website, and view pictures from a few of the projects funded by our loans here. Also, be sure to check out Dawn Farm's blog!
The Trust Fund is an engine of change, promoting economic justice through its investments. I am proud of my family's contributions to its growth, starting with my Dad--who was a founding board member--and now, through my family's continuing investment in the special fund that honors his legacy.
