Neighborhood Spotlight

Bold steps are necessary to address the needs of Detroit residents for more and better jobs, improved schools, enhanced public transportation, and safer neighborhoods with quality parks, open spaces, and recreational facilities.  An integral part of addressing these needs is telling the story of Detroit, its neighborhoods, and its residents.

Lori Ella Miller, the first Detroit LISC neighborhood scribe, will be focused on telling these stories.  Ms. Miller is a seasoned and accomplished writer who has been published in such periodicals as The Los Angeles Times, Westways Magazine, Leisure Travel News, and The Los Angeles Business Journal.

  • Spotlight on Community Service: Detroit LISC and AmeriCorps

    To truly transform and revitalize distressed Detroit neighborhoods, a concerted effort must come from community involvement on the grass-root level. Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), via its partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Services AmeriCorps program, provides local residents the opportunity to connect with their community and help rebuild it from the ground up.

  • Second Edition Detroit Vacant Property Toolbox

    Recently, some 150 Detroiters assembled at the Gleaner’s Community Food Bank on Detroit’s Eastside to participate in the “Neighborhoods First” event. This daylong workshop was designed to allow attendees to share ideas and resources that create positive change and neighborhood revitalization.

  • A Blueprint for the Greening of Southwest Detroit

    The place is Detroit. The time is now. The challenge is to create a working blueprint that will chart a new course that will lead to a true rebirth and economic revitalization for this once great city.

  • New Northeast Guidance Center’s “Green” Campus - A Product of Public-Private Partnership in Action

    Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is constantly looking for new and innovative ways to promote and advance its vision of building healthy and sustainable communities throughout Detroit. By bringing non-traditional partners together and leveraging resources, Detroit LISC is spearheading a movement of neighborhood change and revitalization.

    Detroit LISC’s involvement in the development of a new “green” campus for the Northeast Guidance Center (NEGC) is a shining example of how community development and private enterprise can work together to address the ever-changing needs of Detroit residents.

    NEGC first opened its doors some 46 years ago. Serving the behavioral health needs of residents of Detroit’s eastside, NEGC annually provides mental health services, counseling and recovery services to more than 6,000 underserved adults and children with mental illnesses and special needs.

  • Detroit LISC Funds a Unique After-School Program - Encouraging Creative Expression

    Detroit’s historic Pewabic Pottery was founded in 1903 by Michigan artist Mary Chase Stratton, who was committed to ceramic education and community stewardship. Today, Pewabic Pottery continues its legacy as a renowned tile and pottery fabricator, as well as an important cultural organization.

    This multi-faceted ceramic education institution also serves a variety of constituencies, including community collaborators, emerging artists and area youth.

  • Connecting To The Future: New Wireless Broadband Network To Launch In The Central Woodward And North End Communities

    Thousands of low-income Detroit residents who live in the Central Woodward and the North End communities will soon have access to a new, high-tech wireless Internet network. The Central Woodward/North End Collaborative, in conjunction with Detroit Local Initiatives Corporation (LISC), is successfully using technology as a foundation for community development with the introduction of the Detroit Connected Community Initiative (DCCI).

    The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded an $810,000 grant to the DCCI for the development of various projects, including the expansion of freely available broadband Internet service.

  • Linking Public Development Dollars To Local Job Creation

    Detroit is at a critical time in its history as the metropolitan area deals with a weakened economy and unprecedented job loss. The horizon looks bright as planned investments in the city’s infrastructure present an opportunity to stimulate the economy and create new and sustainable careers – specifically in the construction industry.

    Careers in the construction industry and building trades can open doors for Detroiters seeking employment and a better quality of life. As the state and city move forward with new infrastructure improvements, a solid policy is needed to ensure that local workers benefit from significant public investments and key development projects.

  • Milwaukee Junction Small Business Center Sparks Economic Growth in the North End

    Detroiters have been hit hard by the recent recession. Despite the loss of jobs and wages, Detroiters are not letting go of the American dream. Fueled and invigorated by the spirit of entrepreneurship, many residents are launching their own business, and breathing new life into the local economy.

    Small and medium-sized enterprises are sprouting up throughout the metro area. These “micro businesses” are engines driving an economic renaissance in the city. Micro enterprises can also contribute significantly to social stability and quality of life in a community.

  • Unearthing the Historical Treasures of Corktown

    Detroit was founded more than 300 years ago. Some might say this great city is a time capsule holding three centuries of landmark achievements and historical milestones.

    All around the city, the history of Detroit is reflected in its grand architecture, business communities and neighborhoods. Detroit’s Corktown is a prime example. The city’s oldest neighborhood, Corktown is located just west of the downtown commercial district, bounded by Michigan Avenue, Porter Street and the Lodge Freeway.

  • Southwest Detroit's Weiss Park Receives A Make-Over

    The Urban Neighborhood Initiatives (UNI), formerly Neighborhood Centers, Inc., has embarked on a collaborative effort with other Southwest Detroit organizations and area residents to redevelop and transform Southwest Detroit's Springwells Village. This collaborative effort is instrumental to the overall comprehensive strategy being led and coordinated by the Southwest Detroit Development Collaborative (SDDC).

    Green space development is a key building block in UNI’s plan that is designed to impact housing rehabilitation, infrastructure and quality of life improvements. UNI has identified, and is currently investing in five Southwest Detroit parks, including Weiss Park – located across from the historic Woodmere Cemetery.

  • Building a Safe, Sustainable Community in Central Woodward

    Safety is the number one priority for area residents in Central Woodward and the North End. Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the Central Woodward/North End Collaborative have joined forces to address this important issue, as one component of the larger comprehensive strategy for the area.

    With support and funding from Detroit LISC, the Central Woodward/North End Collaborative developed and launched a Safety Management Program, designed to significantly decrease crime, while increasing the quality of life for residents and businesses in the area.

    Focus: HOPE, an architect for change in the Central Woodward/North End community for 40 years, was selected to become the on-the-ground CDC coordinating the Central Woodward Safety Management Program.

  • Detroit LISC Honors Community Champions at Ninth Annual Awards Ceremony

    Webster defines a "hero" as one who shows great courage. Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) defines community heroes as ordinary individuals who possess the tenacity and courage necessary to be true champions for their community. On September 18, Detroit LISC hosted its Ninth Annual Detroit Community Development Awards ceremony to honor and recognize a group of deserving unsung heroes working hard to make a difference in Detroit neighborhoods.

    FOX2 News Anchor Huel Perkins served as the emcee for the gala event that was held at the Roostertail, overlooking the sparkling waters of the Detroit River. Nearly 400 people attended, including neighborhood stakeholders, business and community leaders, as well as representatives from local, state and federal government.

  • Preserving the Legacy of Historic Boston-Edison

    A neighborhood is more than the houses that line city streets and boulevards. It is an intricate tapestry woven together by history, memories and the hopes and dreams of its residents. Nowhere in Detroit is this more evident than in the community of Historic Boston-Edison.

    Located in the heart of Detroit just off the Lodge Freeway and Chicago Boulevard, Boston-Edison is the largest historic neighborhood in the country, encompassing 36 blocks of beautiful tree-lined streets with 930 elegant homes and stately mansions – most of which were built between 1905 and 1925.

    Some of the nation’s and Detroit’s most famous sons and daughters once called Boston-Edison home, including such luminaries as auto pioneer Henry Ford, SS Kresge department store founder Sebastion Kresge, former Mayor and US Senator James Couzens, former Tigers owner Walter O. Briggs, Mark Twain’s daughter Clara Clemens, boxing great Joe Louis, opera singer Celeste Cole and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy.

  • A Call to Action: Southwest Detroiters Unite at Environmental Justice Forum

    The environment is a hot button issue, especially for the citizens who reside in Southwest Detroit, a community that boasts large-scale industry, as well as many transportation projects.

    Newly elected State Representative, Rashida Tlaib, who represents Southwest Detroit, is taking some proactive steps to ensure that this important issue is not overlooked. Recently she organized an “Environmental Justice Forum,” assembling some 83 people at the Latino Family Services headquarters on Fort Street. The forum focused on several topics, from the expansion of the Marathon Oil Refinery to salt mine blasting by the Detroit Salt Co. to air quality and the impact of the proposed Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) and Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal (DIFT) projects.

  • New Southwest Detroit Community Mapping Project Helps Design Neighborhoods of the Future

    Detroit is a city filled with eclectic and historic neighborhoods that are undergoing an unprecedented social, physical and economic transformation. Southwest Detroit is one of those communities. The Southwest Detroit Development Collaborative (SDDC) has partnered with a group of urbanists to design and launch a unique Community Mapping Project that will help redevelop vibrant, sustainable neighborhoods for the future.

    Thanks to a grant by Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), the SDDC’s Community Mapping Project will allow CDCs and nonprofits in Southwest Detroit to have access to a valuable high-tech GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping tool. While the Community Mapping Project is a pilot program, the SDDC hopes that it can be the framework for a comprehensive database with a website and online interface that will one day be accessible to all CDCs, businesses, residents, civic leaders and other community organizations.