Home repair grants helping to retain generational homes in Detroit
(CBS DETROIT) - Daisy Jackson says the Field Street Block Club Association is taking matters in their own hands to help residents keep up their homes.
She says as property values skyrocket in her neighborhood, low-income legacy homeowners are having a hard time maintaining their properties.
"I never thought I'd live to see my house be worth over $200,000," Jackson said.
Through fundraising efforts, the Field Street Block Club steps in to help as many members as possible, but when the money is depleted, they have to tap into other resources.
One resource is the "Keep it in the Family" housing stabilization grant.
The program offers $2,500 to low-income residents for home repairs.
It's designed to retain generational homes.
"Roofing, plumbing assistance, major HVAC, major electrical, mobility ramps," said The Villages CDC Program Director Alexis Mann.
Jackson is a recipient of the grant.
She used the funds for tree removal service.
"It was because of my gutters and it also, the water that was soaking up under the tree lifting my concrete, a little bit of the foundation up from my home," Jackson explained.
The "Keep it in the Family" grant also comes with will and testament services to provide families with the proper paperwork to legally pass down properties.
"In our next round we have a lot of seniors that have been in their homes for four and five generations in the same house that's still standing which is a testament to their commitment as life-long Detroiters," Mann said.
The program selects 10 residents each round for grants that live in The Villages zip code.
The footprint that stretches from Mount Elliott Avenue in the west to St. Jean Street in the east, from Mack Avenue in the north going all the way down to the Detroit River.
The Villages district consists of 18,000 Detroiters.
