News

The impact of the housing crisis on our neighborhoods is huge with more empty houses and an increasing number of local residents falling into homelessness.  The Restoration Initiative is a collaborative response to this crisis; an effort to revitalize a neighborhood and to bring more affordable housing to Kalamazoo.

A group of local churches and non-profit organizations have worked together to purchase a brand new house in the Kalamazoo North side neighborhood which will provide affordable housing to a local working family.  This new home built by Habitat for Humanity volunteers has two bedrooms, one full bath, an eat-in kitchen with built-in cabinets, and a living room area perfect for a working family.  Additionally, the home is an Energy Star house which will help keep energy costs low for residents.

The home was built by Habitat for Humanity which has decades of experience working with volunteers and families to build and rehabilitate housing.  The property will be owned and managed by Open Doors Kalamazoo, an organization that has filled the great need for affordable rentals in our community by providing subsidized apartments and housings units to the formerly homeless.  Community Homeworks provides support for low-income homeowners by organizing home repair and maintenance trainings and will provide these trainings to the family moving in to the home.  Michigan United, formerly the Michigan Organizing Project, has been organizing in Kalamazoo-area churches for years around the issue of housing justice and hopes to provide the people-power and fundraising capacity to rehabilitate and purchase the house.  The steering committee includes members from the following churches: First United Methodist Church, The River, St. Catherine of Siena, and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.  Local church membership will provide the labor to finish and furnish the house.  

This new home was purchased for $10,000.  The house needs an additional $10,000 of work to be ready for a deserving family to move in.  So far, we have raised $12,355 of our $20,000 fundraising goal.  We need support from individuals and organizations to complete renovations and move in a deserving family.  Click on the donate button below and direct your donation to the Restoration Initiative to support our efforts.  All individuals, faith institutions, and community organizations are welcome to participate, regardless of their affiliation with the partner organizations.

Upcoming Volunteer Dates:

4/12/2014 9am-1pm Paint Day
5/17/2014 9am-1pm Spring Cleaning Work Day (outside work)

Kalamazoo, MI – Open Doors Kalamazoo is expanding its affordable housing program for low-wage workers who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. “This expansion will allow 15 working families to avoid or overcome homelessness,” said Rick Stravers, Executive Director of Open Doors Kalamazoo.

The organization purchased a 15-unit apartment property at 3611 Duke Street in Kalamazoo. The property consists of three buildings with eight 2-bedroom apartments, three 2-bedroom townhouses, and four 1-bedroom apartments. Open Doors Kalamazoo was able to purchase the new property for $320,000 – a remarkable deal when you consider that it will provide homes to 15 households. An additional $52,000 worth of upgrades to the buildings are expected to be added including new roofs.

The purchase and upgrading of these apartments was made possible by a grant from the Vandomelen Foundation. “The Vandomelen Foundation provided the means for us to expand our capacity to serve families in need. For their support we are grateful. Through their support of Open Doors, the Vandomelen Foundation hopes to improve the lives of homeless children and their families” Stravers said.

Open Doors Kalamazoo now provides 95 units of housing to help low-wage workers avoid or overcome homelessness ranging from single rooms to studio apartments and 1- to 3-bedroom apartments scattered throughout the city.

Residents in Open Doors Kalamazoo’s affordable housing program enjoy affordable homes coupled with personal support for maintaining employment and stability. The cost is affordable to workers earning minimum wage.

“We recently were able to provide a 2-bedroom apartment to a mom with two children who has held a steady job for two years. She takes home about $1,000 a month and was paying $580 monthly for rent, leaving only $420 for all the other expenses for her family. In Open Doors’ housing she will now pay $350 monthly for a 2-bedroom unit,” Stravers said.  The need for lower cost housing for working families facing homelessness is intense,” Stravers said. “We are grateful to the Vandomelen Foundation and all our donors and volunteers who make it possible for families like these to have stable, affordable homes.”

ABOUT OPEN DOORS KALAMAZOO

At Open Doors Kalamazoo we partner with low-wage working men and women to empower them to support themselves and their families and overcome or avoid homelessness. Through housing, partnerships, and advocacy, Open Doors Kalamazoo has been helping individuals and families overcome homelessness since 1970. We seek to provide solutions to the housing crisis faced by low-wage working families in our community. As families are strengthened, so is our community.

Links to News Articles Covering the Acquisition:

MLive Article: Open Doors Kalamazoo uses grant to purchase 15-unit apartment complex to help low-income families

Second Wave Media Article: Open Doors offers more affordable housing

We want to wish you a happy holiday season and express our sincere thanks for the support you have given Open Doors Kalamazoo in 2013. Whether you’re a donor, volunteer, service provider, staff, or another important member of our team, we thank you.

If you are looking for ways to assist Open Doors Kalamazoo with our mission, please consider a year-end donation. We are preparing for exciting changes in 2014, including the renovation of a new 15 unit property on Duke Street. Stay tuned for more information on big things to come.