The headlines across the state have been pretty rough lately, so here’s a couple positive stories from this weekend to check out.

Detroit News: Crowds pack downtown Detroit for Wings, Hoedown. The city’s sports teams and music scene are still bringing people downtown:

The Tigers, the Wings and Willie made downtown a mecca for thousands of baseball, hockey and country music fans this afternoon.

While the Detroit Tigers faced the Oakland A’s, the Detroit Red Wings were skating against the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL Western Conference Finals just a few blocks south. Meanwhile, to the east, the Downtown Hoedown, which will be headlined by legendary country star Willie Nelson, was in full swing.

It all made for a busy day downtown…

The multitude of events downtown was good business for Home Run Subs on Washington Boulevard.

“Usually we don’t get a lot of customers on Sundays, but people are stopping in today,” manager Russ Rabeman said.

CNNMoney.com: Why I love Detroit: 13 stories. Speaking of reasons people love Detroit, here’s an excerpt from a recent online feature that jumped out at us:

Why I love Detroit: Detroit residents support those who are part of the city’s mosaic. Often they’re working-class, blue-collar people who want to see their kids have better lives.

And I think that can happen, because Detroit is turning around. We have a great downtown, talented sports teams, the busiest waterway in the country, tax incentives for filmmakers, newer houses and more green space than most large cities.

Obviously we’ve had issues, but a lot people here have invested time and energy into a 21st century city. People here believe it can be defined by its brighter future, not its bleaker past. Detroit can make itself into a prime U.S. city again. I believe we’re destined for it.

Model D: $656,000 earmark targeted towards New Center infrastructure improvements. Federal infrastructure funding is coming to Detroit:

New Center Councilis moving ahead with a number of infrastructure improvement projects intended to ready the neighborhood for better times. “These infrastructure projects are great right now because they create jobs and bring workers to New Center,” says New Center Council vice president Karen Gage. “This helps struggling businesses that really benefit from the added population brought in by all these construction projects.”

New Center is the recipient of a $656,000 federal earmark, part of which will be used to implement streetscape improvements along Woodward between I-94 and Euclid, sandwiching the improvements already completed near Grand Boulevard. 

This project will be done in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation’s plans to resurface Woodward, which proved to be both timely and economical. “There’s one bid, one contractor,” says Gage. “There are a lot of savings by rolling this work into an existing project.” Bids are expected to go out in the next two months with work finished by the end of summer.

Capital Gains: $250,000 Grant Finishes 32 Residential Rehab Units in Downtown St. Johns. Meanwhile, downtown St. Johns is receiving a little development help of its own:

The City of St. Johns is using a third downtown development grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) to finish renovations of 32 downtown St. Johns.

“If people live downtown, it does two things,” says Steven Wagner, community development director for the City of St. Johns. “It gives someone an affordable place to live and it brings people downtown.”

Jackson Citizen Patriot: Number of homeless students at Jackson Public Schools quadruples. Some troubling news coming out of Jackson, a city that has been hit especially hard by the economic crisis:

In 2006-07, there were 34 students classified as homeless — 33 in elementary and one in high school.

This year, that number has more than quadrupled to 143 students — 139 in elementary, one in middle school and three in high school — or about 2 percent of the roughly 6,370 students enrolled in the district this fall.

And that’s only the homeless students the district knows about.

By law, schools are required to do all they can to get homeless students to school and break barriers that might keep them from attending and succeeding.

The federal McKinney-Vento Act defines homeless children and youths as being those “who lack fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” It includes those who live in shelters, share housing with others because of economic hardship or stay in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, camping grounds, shelters or motels.

Learn how you can help reverse this trend by visiting the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness’ website at www.mihomeless.org.

Detroit News: Detroit has plenty to offer Final Four fans. On a brighter note, with the Spartans now in the Final Four, the excitement is building in Detroit:

Detroit is about to go hoops crazy as the NCAA Final Four fans start rolling into town next week, not a moment too soon for a region eager for some fun.

The Final Four championship games will be held Saturday and Monday at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, and downtown hoteliers and bar and restaurant owners are itching to show off refurbished Art Deco hotels and slicked up bars and restaurants to out-of-town visitors who may be surprised at all the entertainment options in the city.

Some 100,000 visitors are expected to stream into the city, with an estimated $50 million economic impact, according to the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Join us on Wednesday, April 8, at the Kellogg Center as we honor new borrowers and mortgage burners from 2008. Hop over to our Events page for more details and registration information.

If you have any questions about this event, please email Melodie Balzer Sanford at mbalzersanford@interfaithtrust.org. 

Hope to see you there!

Detroit Free Press Op-Ed: Stimulate the state by checking line 24 on your state tax return. In case you missed it, check out the op-ed in last Friday’s Free Press by CEDAM Executive Director Angie Gaabo and Ken Bensen, CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Michigan:

This tax season, citizens across the state have the exciting opportunity to invest in their local communities by donating to the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund (MHCDF) on line 24 of their 2008 tax return. By checking the box to donate to the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund, citizens can invest in Michigan’s economic future.

Building and sustaining vibrant cities is key to revitalizing Michigan and accelerating our recovery from this economic crisis. The mission of the MHCDF is to provide housing opportunities for all Michigan residents and to help transform our economy by improving the quality of life in Michigan’s cities, towns, and villages.

Creating vibrant communities where people want to live, work and retire will be key to Michigan’seconomic turnaround. It is more important than ever to invest in community revitalization efforts and housing initiatives such as those supported by the MHCDF.

 

The MHCDF is helping Michigan cities and communities to compete for, attract and retain the brightest and best workers in the country - concentrating its funding on downtowns, neighborhoods, affordable housing and supportive housing.

Walt Sorg: Interview with Ken Bensen of Habitat for Humanity, Michigan. Walt talks to Ken about the new state tax checkoff will help fund low-cost housing renovation and construction, helping families and neighborhoods. Click the link to hear the interview.

WXYZ: Habitat For Humanity to Host Homeownership Fair in Detroit. Speaking of our friends at Habitat…

Habitat for Humanity Detroit will soon host a Homeownership Fair to recruit families for the energy efficient homes being built on the city’s east side.

The fair will be held Wednesday, March 18 at The Samaritan Center located at 5555 Conner. The event is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

Habitat will offer a 0% interest rate mortgage for qualified applicants earning at least $22,000 per year. An additional 15-year-tax deduction will also be available because the target area is labeled a “Neighborhood Enterprise Zone (NEZ).”

Capital Gains: Lansing Unveils Plans for $3.2 Million Waterfront Beautification Project. Lansing could soon have a new look along the riverfront:

The City of Lansing is actively designing an improvement plan for the Grand River waterfront that runs along the new Accident Fund and City Market properties in Downtown Lansing.

The new design includes improved walkways, lighting, seating and natural beautification. It’s part of a $3.2 million Clean Michigan Initiative grant, which is administrated by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

“This project is meant to turn this into a riverfront that is inviting and walkable and bikeable and an awesome place to experience in the City of Lansing,” says Chad Gamble, public service director with the City of Lansing.

Lansing State Journal: Housing coalition eager for new site. And speaking of the Capitol City, Lansing is set to get a neighborhood empowerment center:

The Greater Lansing Housing Coalition seems set to debut its new neighborhood empowerment center by the end of 2009, regardless of whether federal stimulus money comes in.

But a $1.1 million gift from Washington certainly would cover the rest of the necessary financing, said Lynne Martinez, the coalition’s executive director.

“We don’t have all of our money,” she said.

Martinez said the renovation project on the former Michigan School for the Blind campus could cost up to $1.6 million. The coalition has about $500,000 and is trying to gather the rest through grants and other fundraisers.

“This would finish filling the gap,” Martinez said. “We’re hoping that by the end of 2009, this will be on line.”

Detroit News: Obama outlines home foreclosure plan. In case you missed it last week, the Detroit News has details on President Obama’s plan to fight foreclosures:

The Obama administration announced an ambitious plan Wednesday to halt the spiral of home foreclosures that is battering families and communities in Michigan and across the country.

“In the end, all of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis, and all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow this crisis to continue to deepen,” President Obama said in outlining the plan, which officials said would help as many as 4 million homeowners refinance their mortgages on more affordable terms.

Two groups of homeowners potentially could benefit: those at risk of foreclosure, who could be eligible for loan modifications to bring their monthly payments down to as little as 31 percent of their income; and owners who aren’t at immediate risk, but who have been unable to refinance homes because the housing market’s decline has erased their equity.

Grand Rapids Press: Recession doesn’t stop downtown Grand Rapids construction from hitting historic high. Given the state of the economy, it’s good to read stories like this:

One look at construction projects in downtown Grand Rapids and someone might believe the urban center has bypassed the nation’s economic bust.

That would be an overstatement.

But thanks to unprecedented investments in health care facilities, dedicated local developers and lucky timing, downtown finds itself in the midst of a construction boom.

The price tag for ongoing projects — more than $770 million — is a historic high for the region, at the same time construction spending is down across the nation and activity is grinding to a halt in some areas.

While spending is likely to see dramatic drops as major projects wrap up, another round of investments designed, in part, to capitalize on the current boom is on the drawing board.

That has city leaders and developers optimistic the urban center will be well positioned when the economy recovers.

Grand Rapids Press: Grand Rapids fifth-most affordable place to buy home, but can we overcome the fear? There’s good news, and then there’s not-so-good news about affordability in Michigan:

In a measure of income, home price, and mortgage rate, analysts deemed Grand Rapids one of the nation’s most affordable housing markets this month, coming in fifth behind Indianapolis; Warren; Youngstown, Ohio; and Detroit.

But instead of a buying frenzy, anxiety and toughened credit standards are sending sales the other way.

“Houses overall are far more affordable here than elsewhere,” said Paul Isely, associate professor of economics at Grand Valley State University…

For Paul Corcoran, director of Central Michigan University’s new real estate development and finance major, the element of fear is driving home prices down.

That is a good thing, he said.

“That’s why prices are so low,” Corcoran said. “If fear was gone, prices would be higher.

“I actually think it is a good time to buy a house.”

Kalamazoo Gazette: Homeless numbers expected to increase as more people are jobless. Affordable housing is more important than ever: 

Cindy Dalton was among those who participated Wednesday in a count of Kalamazoo County’s homeless at Ministry with Community.

The count, held at several locations frequented by the homeless, was sponsored by the Local Initiatives Support Corp., an agency that helps homeless people find permanent housing. Participants filled out a survey that asked them how they lost their housing, whether they have a child or a disability and how long they’ve been homeless, among other demographic information.

On Wednesday night, police across the county were to do an observational count, and area hospitals were to count the homeless in their emergency rooms.

Last year’s count totaled 681 homeless people, including 262 children, officials said. In 2007, 692 homeless people were recorded, of which 235 were children.

The 2009 numbers won’t be known for weeks, but Michelle Schneider, assistant program officer for LISC, said this year’s count should be higher than last year.

Adrian Daily Telegram: Project offers resources to people facing housing crisis, homelessness. Fortunately, local agencies are stepping up to help struggling families and homeowners:

Those who are homeless, in a housing crisis or know someone in such a situation were linked with resources offered by agencies at an event Wednesday.

The Lenawee County Continuum of Care organized and sponsored “Project Homeless Connect,” which took place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Human Services Building, 1040 S. Winter St. Agencies represented at the event included Catholic Charities of Lenawee, Community Action Agency, Family Counseling and Children’s Services of Lenawee County, the Lenawee Emergency and Affordable Housing Corp. (LEAHC), Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service Inc. and The Salvation Army.  

Capt. Gordon Knight of The Salvation Army, who was serving as a spokesman for the event, said the goal was to get as much information into the hands of clients and customers as possible. 
“As the economy declines, you know homeless issues are increasing,” he said.

Press Release: MSHDA to Offer Grants for Low Income Housing and Downtown Revitalization. Some of the hearings have already happened, but there are three more events scheduled this week. Follow the link for details:

Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) Executive Director Keith Molin today announced that public hearings are scheduled statewide to receive input for the 2009 distribution of funds from the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund. The allocation of 2009 funds represents the second opportunity for MSHDA to distribute funds under legislation passed in 2007 to support projects designed to fuel strategies leveraging public and private resources to meet the affordable housing needs of low, very low and extremely low income households and to finance projects located in a downtown area or adjacent neighborhood.

Detroit Free Press: Redeveloping Detroit. The Freep tracks progress on redeveloping in the City of Detroit:

After years of decline, Detroit is finally taking shape again. New residential developments, hotels, retail stores and offices locating downtown provide a snapshot of what is to come.

Business leadership is playing a major role in the turnaround. Detroit Renaissance and its member companies have invested more than $100 million in the past 10 years to speed redevelopment. Last year, Detroit Renaissance, with major support from the Kresge Foundation, implemented the Detroit Public Space Fund to maintain public spaces in greater downtown. We also helped start a fund to attract retailers and supported programs to attract businesses and market the city to visitors, which we will continue to do in 2009…

Another exciting initiative is a venture spearheaded by the Hudson-Webber Foundation and supported by Detroit Renaissance and others to attract young, upwardly mobile professionals to downtown residential locations, creating a talent corridor.

There is much progress to be proud of. However, we still have a long way to go. 

Lansing State Journal: About 2,200 volunteers hit streets in effort to feed Lansing’s hungry. Here’s a great community service story from the Lansing area:

About 2,200 volunteers hit Lansing’s snow-covered streets as part of The Church of Greater Lansing Project: Love in Action, hand-delivering boxes filled with rice, macaroni, crackers, canned vegetables and other food items to about 2,000 Lansing families.

The project was born out of a meeting last October between several area church leaders and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, according to Stephanie Butler, Lansing Partnerships coordinator for Trinity Church, which helped spearhead the meeting.

During the meeting, Bernero explained how getting food to needy families was a significant concern in the city.

“It was decided that if we were going to partner on something, it was going to be food,” said Trinity Church’s lead Pastor Phil Posthuma.

And partner they did.

Over a period of about two months, the coalition - which had become known as The Church of Greater Lansing - raised about $114,000, Butler said.

Coldwater Daily Reporter: Mortgage from ‘94 Habitat home set on fire. Looks like we’re not the only ones who do ceremonial mortgage burnings:

In January 1994, Bob and Barbara Morford thought making house payments for their Rose Street home for 30 years was a long time.

“We went with 15 years so we’d be done sooner, even though the payments were a little more,” Bob said.

On Saturday morning, the Morfords gathered with Branch County Habitat for Humanity members at the material resale facility on East Chicago Road (at the former site of Walters Building Supply) to burn a copy of the mortgage on the group’s first home built in Branch County.

Metro Mode: Dearborn: An Arsenal Of Diversity? Metro Mode has an extended feature in this week’s edition on how the city of Dearborn is becoming a model for multiculturalism:

One wonders if this city with such an illustrious past has the potential of defining what “culturally cool” means for Southeast Michigan. Henry Ford’s $5 a day manufacturing system created a multicultural working community in Dearborn. Entrepreneurial freedom for generations of Middle Eastern people is reinventing the city in a post-racial content. With the excitement surrounding Barack Obama’s inauguration this week, it seems appropriate to imagine this storied city, so intrinsically linked to the region’s past, as a hotbed for a new kind of innovation: diversity. 

Deputy Wayne County CEO and Dearborn resident Azzam Elder and Mayor Jack O’Reilly envision the city’s Arab American culture as a destination for visitors as well as permanent residents. 

“Promoting of Arab culture would be a huge benefit,” says Elder. “The city has gained national and international recognition for The Henry Ford, why not the National Arab American Cultural Museum and the retail district along Warren Avenue?”

Kalamazoo Gazette Editorial: We’re leading the way in economic development. Times are tough in Michigan and across the country right now, but the folks in K-Zoo must be doing something right.

Michigan’s economy is entering its ninth year of decline. The national economy is in the tank, with the stock market on a long slide and the domestic auto industry looking to Congress and the president for a bailout loan.

Yet in the Kalamazoo statistical area, which has the second-lowest unemployment rate in Michigan behind Ann Arbor, 2008 was a year for mostly good economic news…

In the past year, Kaiser Aluminum has announced it will set up shop in Kalamazoo. Parker Hydraulics announced it has received more aircraft hydraulics system contracts. MPI announced it would triple its work force, although the difficult economy has forced the company to delay its expansion plans. Graphic Packaging International Inc. announced it would expand, adding 160 new jobs next year.

In all, more than 30 companies announced last year that they would create more than 6,000 jobs in this area in the next five to seven years.

Model D TV: Model D TV: Mexicantown. Having made loans in Mexicantown in the past, this is a neat little clip from the folks at Model D. Check it out:

New York Times: Museums Look Inward for Their Own Bailouts. A recent feature in the Arts section of the NYT on how the Detroit Institute of Arts has been able to rejuvenate itself from within (h/t Model D):

Comparable largess is all but nonexistent in Detroit today. Wealthy industrialists have faded from the scene. The Michigan state government gives almost no money to the institute, the city even less. In 1997 Detroit built the Museum of African-American History across the street from the institute, its spanking newness in sharp contrast to its older, crumbling neighbor.

Graham W. J. Beal, who arrived as director that year, has done much to stop the decline, largely — and this is where other museums should pay attention — through the use of material at hand. In 2007, to attract the city’s black majority and woo back white suburbanites, the museum unveiled a top-to-bottom rethinking of all the permanent galleries, with strategic shifts in emphasis…

Whatever its shortcomings, the reinstallation proves that a major museum can recharge itself from within, from its own holdings. And this kind of recharging could well become the only viable route for museums.