|
A Word from our Leaders
This
2005 Annual Report launches Salem Housing's celebration of our twentieth
anniversary. Traditionally the annual report is a reflection of the
previous twelve month period. This year's cover reflects "Twenty
Families, Twenty Stories, Twenty Years," a portion of our
organization's twenty years of building families, homes, and community,
as we begin to capture some of our rich historical past.. ..there are
many more than 20 families and 20 stories! Over the years we have
overcome many obstacles. Our agency's ability to respond positively
today is clearly a reflection of that history. This past ability to
persevere provided a strong foundation for this last year's monumental
challenges.
In 1984, Salem Housing Task Force was incorporated and launched their
journey - of providing safe, decent and affordable housing for families.
Armed with a ten thousand dollar grant and 5 twenty thousand dollar
loans from the Enterprise Foundation, Salem Housing Task Force and this
neighborhood launched their mission of rehabilitating deteriorating
houses in their neighborhoods and matching them with low-income
families. Jonathan Jacobs, Salem's first board president, and Jane
Richardson, their newly appointed executive director, embarked on a
wonderful task of educating families and then matching them with these
houses.
With ten years under our belt and during a long range planning session
in 1992 Salem added to its mission "to act as a catalyst" for.
neighborhood revitalization holistic should mean not just preparing
families and rehabilitating houses but should also include working with
neighbors, block clubs and other stake holders in the revitalization of
the whole community. We hired our first community organizer in 1994 to
walk hand in hand with our families and community leaders to lead a
block by block approach to winning back our neighborhoods.
In 1996, this organizing resulted in the development of a comprehensive
community development plan and the formation of a new community based
organization called "North Flint Twenty-First Centuries' Communities"
(NF21CC). The community wide planning process involved more than one
hundred and fifty residents and stakeholders and culminated with the
launch of the plan at Christ Fellowship M.B.C. in January of 1997. We
improved our financial accountability, transformed our construction
department, and improved our property management techniques. The result
of all of this challenged Salem Housing Task Force to change its name to
more accurately reflect the true mission of its work. In 2001, fresh out
of developing its first three year strategic map, Salem Housing changed
its name to Salem Housing Community Development Corporation, emphasizing
the mission of a holistic approach to neighborhood revitalization.
The pre-2004 years presented lots of roadblocks, challenging obstacles,
and setbacks. Salem Housing found a way to fight back and keep itself in
the forefront of community development activities. Following a very
successful 2003, the 2004 year proved to be our most challenging
yet with 19 projects completed or underway. The year started out with
great promise: armed with a two and one half million dollar budget, two
major grant proposals approved, an internal capacity building assessment
underway, and selected to be the non-profit developer for the Flint Park
Lake Neighborhood Restoration Development (including the building of one
hundred and fifty new homes), we felt good about the direction the
agency was headed. By mid-year all was threatened as the "City of
Flint's administration and the Mayor's office brought to a grinding halt
all of these plans for the future. Acting on negative publicity and a
changing community development philosophy toward neighborhood
restoration on July 1, 2004, the city simply stopped reimbursing Salem
Housing for contracted work and refused to honor any new future
contracts with our agency. The impact of these changes reflected our
major reliance on local financing and emphasized the need to diversity
if we are to continue as a major community development entity.
Salem
Housing's mission of providing affordable housing and working as a
catalyst for positive change has not dimmed. Our board of directors,
staff, and volunteers launched a strong campaign to keep Salem Housing
an active force on the north end of Flint. The efforts included
seeking grants and financial contributions in an end of the year
fundraising drive and raised almost one hundred and fifth thousand
dollars to 'keep a roof over the head of our twenty years of
good work." We are not out of the woods and 2005 presents the
greatest challenge of all. We ask that you keep Salem Housing and its
neighbors in your prayers as we complete every home and develop many
more in this growing community.
=====================
2004 PROGRAMS ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Construction includes the purchase and rehabilitation of vacant
and often deteriorated homes (3 completed, 5 in construction) and owner
occupied rehabilitation (8 completed and 6 stopped pending release of
funds.) This work is at the heart of assuring solid stable quality
housing for limited income families.. .and for revitalizing our city. On
June 30th, Salem Housing was carrying out construction on 19 homes. When
government funding was suspended, the responsible completion of the
homes became a major and on-going task. Salem Housing will complete
every home to not only HUD standards but to Salem Housing's high
standards. Volunteers, cash gifts, and services provided without any
date certain for payment are among the tools being used to continue this
work. Volunteer hours on houses and clean-up days have totaled 1,158
hours in 2004 and volunteer hours on board or committee activities add
an additional 1,342.
Buying and Beyond assures education and access to skills from
the desire to buy a home to the on-going work and advantages of owning
one's own home. Salem Housing's Homebuyer Program prepares families
to buy and maintain a home. The program begins in a solid base of
education with a well planned path for meeting homeownership goals from
successfully buying to successfully owning a home for years to come. To
that end, classes begin with pre-purchase education (75 graduates in
2004), maintenance and repair classes (103 households completed),
individualized credit and money management counseling (72 households),
and access and management of resources to maintain one's home (39
households completed). "Tools" are tailored to needs identified by
community residents and applicants:
Lease to purchase serves some first time homebuyers who need affordable
low cost housing in order to work on credit issues. A realistic 12 month
plan of action that will prepare the potential buyer for a successful
mortgage application may move a family into their future home...and into
the consistent tough work with Salem Housing's Homeownership Coordinator
that results in their home purchase. Salem Housing's Property Management
program includes working with these households as they develop their
skills for homeownership. Four families became first time homebuyers in
2004! They overcame powerful obstacles and are realistic about the work
that lies ahead as homeowners.
Education and access to loans provides established homeowners with the
confidence, skill and, if required, credit and money management skills
to assure their success as homeowners. This program is in response to
community requests for access to home repair loans - and to our priority
to maintaining a homeowner base in our communities... 8 families used
MSHDA Home Improvement Loans this year.
A demonstration project developed by Salem Housing and lenders to
explore "what works" in preparing homeowners who do not presently
qualify for conventional home improvement loans to be able to obtain
such resources in the future. This project has met its first funding
challenge from the Ruth Mott Foundation - and is being launched in the
Kings Wood Neighborhood as a program with careful money management tied
to home improvement loans. The demonstration project is a part of a
larger program of providing access to all neighbors to a range of home
improvement resources from equity loans to MSHDA home improvement loans,
to information for managing construction.
Quality affordable rental properties - 8 units serve families not ready
to buy but in need of large affordable family living space.
Neighborhood Revitalization Neighborhood Revitalization is the
driver for all of Salem Housing's Community Development activities. It
has always meant restoring a homeowner base and working beside neighbors
to organize and find the resources to problem solve and carry out
neighborhood dreams... block clubs, special projects, safety patrols,
leadership development, economic development....listening and working
beside neighbors as they plan for the community's future. There were two
consistent priorities: financial and skill resources for home repairs
for all owner-occupying neighbors and easily accessible community-based
leadership skill training opportunities. A curriculum to strengthen
leadership and results when block club residents participated together
was linked to project development and dollars to carry out projects...
.one of the results is sidewalk repair on 7 blocks... .three more are
ready for a spring start-up that will follow the release of CDBG funds.
A powerful new project, Federal Home Loan Bank's Neighborhood Impact
Project of exterior repairs sponsored by Citizens' Bank with matching
dollars from homeowners and the Ruth Mott Foundation has both provided
for exterior repairs in the Metwananee Hills Neighborhood (Kings-Wood
renamed by neighbors) and the evaluation of its impact on the
neighborhood as a whole- 19 major exterior repairs completed. A
curriculum for Buying and Beyond was developed and has been used by all
of these participants as well as those applying for both equity and
MSHDA Home Repair Loans.
Sixteen lots were cleared and managed as green space and as a living
demonstration of removing lead paint from the soil by natural methods
... ..replicable by any neighbor taking on the vacant lot next door.
=====================
SALEM CELEBRATES 20 VOICES, 20 YEARS
'The
day the house was finished, I was pretty much blown away. It looked
wonderful. I moved into my new
home at 2508 M.L. King in September1998. When I did not know how to do
something, Salem Housing came right over and taught me how to solve the
problem." Brenda Torrence, owner of 2508 M.L. King.
"My
attitude has changed. I'm looking at my neighborhood differently.
I work in Birmingham, so it's been easy to think that somebody should do
something about the vacant houses. Now, I'm thinking, this is my home,
my neighborhood. It's only go good as I make it and I plan to be a part
of making it good." Cadaccee Sullivan-Miller, Started
leasing 2502 M.L. King Avenue in preparation to purchase in 2003.
"I
dream that all vacant houses will be new homes. Our block has
three vacant houses and we want them to be homes. I dream that the
empty yards are filled with children at play. I know that vacant
lots can be gardens and tiny parks or even new homes. The
opportunity lies in front of us and together we will seize those
opportunities". Rev. Mary Thompson, former President of W.
Rankin Block Club.
I've
been a volunteer at Salem Housing for more than 15 years including
serving as President but the most rewarding work has been as a member of
the Family Selection Committee. Meeting families, talking with
kids, really getting a feeling of their needs was so important. Jill
Alien was on our committee and she helped us be very consistent with
this clear and bright set of flip cards. It explained to everyone just
what to expect
and got the kids involved also. The children were so excited when they
moved and had a bedroom to call their own."
-Elizabeth Veasey, Salem Housing volunteer
from 1990 to 2005
"We
liked the whole idea of how to get established in your own home.
Classes at salem help you get your credit established and pay off your
debt."
Ann Nunn, who purchased 541 E. Dewey Street in 2004
"Salem
Housing is a good place to work!"
Chelsey Charleston, youth volunteer
"Salem
is necessary."
James Anthony Jones, GFAC
Board Member
=====================
OUR THANKS TO THE FOUNDERS
The
organizations that created Salem Housing as a Task Force under Salem
Lutheran Church's non-profit status were not novices to neighborhood
work and tough issues. All of these founding organizations were already
taking on tough tasks of problem-solving, from buying $1 houses to race
relations, from clean-ups and beautification to literacy campaigns and
they worked together constantly. Community leadership list; overlapped,
so there was already an essential foundation for a new organization.
The
story is that Jonathan Jacobs, Pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in
1984, and church member, Norman Bryant, who was leading Cook
Neighborhood Association, were looking out the second story window of
the church at the house at 2615 Detroit Street. It was a marvelous brick
house that was vacant more often than not. They started talking about
how "somebody ought to fix that house up and get a homeowner in here".
The Enterprise Foundation came to town to look at an affordable housing
project that was to be launched at the same time that the rive
development occurred. They found that they kept meeting the same people
at the meetings and worked with these overlapping groups as they
launched the organization known today as Salem Housing CDC.
Salem
Lutheran Church is located at 2610 Detroit Street. Known for calling
activist ministers, Gary Desjardin, Jonathan Jacobs and now Thulisiwe
Beresford, the church has a long history of extending its activism far
beyond the church doors. The King-Salem-Garfield Neighborhood
Association, comprised of two elementary schools and the church, was
working beside children and parents in the community. Joan Jacobs
and Martha Burnett, members of the association, added Salem Housing Task
Force to their meeting schedule. The Flint Inner City Beautification
Project included members Gene Leverette and Roxie Price who could
persuade anyone to plant a flower or feed those who were! Mack
Wynne also came from this group to make Salem Housing go. Dort-Oak
Park Neighborhood House brought the strong voice of Bob Boyler, who
already was already working on literacy for kids and parents. Bob also
brought the United Methodist Church to the program. WWD, the Wood to
Welch at Detroit group had activists Terry Arntson and Ruby Watson
out front not only working on the tough issues of prostitution and an
abandoned business strip, but also working on a plan for re-use of the
buildings. North Cook Neighborhood Association was creating
change in the neighborhood by taking on $1 houses and repairing them
themselves. Members, Norm Bryant and Edith McDonald were more than ready
create a new organization.
Each
of these group's own missions shaped what Salem Housing is today.
Dort-Oak Park wanted kids to stay in one school and that meant
stable affordable housing and home ownership. North Cook knew
from experience that new homeowners had to have solid hands-on education
to succeed in the tough job of owning and caring for old houses. Jim
Sutton and Jon Jacobs knew what it took to repair a house and were
willing to teach others how. They were instrumental in putting a huge
volunteer force to work. Then two members at large came aboard. Inez
Davis brought a strong neighborhood voice and Dave Pifer went to
work on the legal papers and a structure that would guide the
dreams. In 1985, this core group asked Genesee Bank and the City of
Flint to lend advisors so that they could begin to develop a housing
rehab program that would provide stable affordable home ownership to
limited income families in the 132 block area bounded by Pasadena,
Dupont, Saginaw, and Wood.
The City of Flint sent Greg Tolbert- Bey and Genesee Bank sent Steve
Jacobson. In early 1987, Jonathan Jacobs, President, said that the Task
Force must work "to see a positive vision become a reality, to see hope
translated into energy and action, to have those moments of pride and
satisfaction and to see a family settled into a home. Active love is
labor and fortitude."
So with a treasury of $287.00 and a powerful vision, determined founders
launched this organization.
Contact Us
3216 M. L. King Avenue | Flint, Michigan 48505
Phone (810) 785-5340
Fax (810) 785-5366
Email
salemhousing@salemhousing.org
|
