Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Housing--Detroit

Abandoned Detroit Building Converted To Apartments For Homeless

April 15, 2011 8:30 AM

DETROIT (WWJ) – The old Michigan Bell building in Detroit is being converted into an apartment building for the homeless.

WWJ’s Rob Sanford reports work will get underway next week on the housing project.

The $5 million project calls for the construction of 155 one-bedroom apartments, along with in-house services for the homeless.

Neighborhood Services Organization developed the project. The organization raised 80% of the renovation costs, with the rest made up of donations from several foundations and business organizations.

Also moving into the 255,000 square foot building will be a federally funded health care clinic.

The hope is that construction can be completed by the fall of 2012.

[Source:  CBS Detroit]

7 comments:

  1. I'm very excited to see this happening in the city I love!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, and I hope to visit this project later this year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Projects like this just make sense, and in the long run probably save money.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think, ultimately, the vast majority of funding for this project came from federal, state, and local taxes. Here is the Neighborhood Service Organization budget for FY 2009:

    State of Michigan 1,578,371 6%
    Detroit-Wayne
    County Community
    Mental Health A gency 10,806,531 43%
    Oakland County
    Community Mental
    Health A uthority 952,293
    City of Detroit 808,803 3%
    Consumer Link
    Network, Inc. 4,454,158 18%
    CareLink
    Network, Inc. 3,127,256 13%
    United Way for
    Southeastern Michigan 768,408 3%
    Other Grants
    and Contracts 2,494,434 10%
    Total Annual Budget $24,990,254 100%

    ReplyDelete
  5. Negative-Anon:

    If you're right, that sounds like a solid public-private partnership and like a great use of tax dollars to me!

    Ken
    Dallas

    ReplyDelete
  6. One evening as the sun went down
    And the jungle fires were burning,
    Down the track came a hobo hiking,
    And he said, "Boys, I'm not turning
    I'm headed for a land that's far away
    Besides the crystal fountains
    So come with me, we'll go and see
    The Big Rock Candy Mountains

    In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
    There's a land that's fair and bright,
    Where the handouts grow on bushes
    And you sleep out every night.
    Where the boxcars all are empty
    And the sun shines every day
    And the birds and the bees
    And the cigarette trees
    The lemonade springs
    Where the bluebird sings
    In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

    In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
    All the cops have wooden legs
    And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth
    And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs
    The farmers' trees are full of fruit
    And the barns are full of hay
    Oh I'm bound to go
    Where there ain't no snow
    Where the rain don't fall
    The winds don't blow
    In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.

    In the Big Rock Candy Mountains
    You never change your socks
    And the little streams of alcohol
    Come trickling down the rocks
    The brakemen have to tip their hats
    And the railway bulls are blind
    There's a lake of stew
    And of whiskey too
    You can paddle all around it
    In a big canoe
    In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

    In the Big Rock Candy Mountains,
    The jails are made of tin.
    And you can walk right out again,
    As soon as you are in.
    There ain't no short-handled shovels,
    No axes, saws nor picks,
    I'm bound to stay
    Where you sleep all day,
    Where they hung the jerk
    That invented work
    In the Big Rock Candy Mountains.
    ....
    I'll see you all this coming fall
    In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

    ReplyDelete