Community leaders in Detroit recently gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony on the site of the Brewster Wheeler redevelopment, an $80 million project focused on creating affordable housing north of downtown Detroit.
The development, which includes the Sanctuary at Brewster, aims to provide stability for the city's most vulnerable residents.
The location is significant because it’s steeped in American history.
"This site, 90 years ago in 1935, was where the first federally funded public housing projects in America broke ground. And it was First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who came here to break ground on those projects." said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.
The mayor emphasized that the project was designed to honor the city’s long term residents.
“I had one demand, that every single unit in this project would be set aside for those who were here when Detroit was struggling and are here as we come back.”
Mayor Duggan also highlighted the scale of the affordable housing, saying that of the 211 units, 52 will be units of "permanent supportive housing for our most persistently unhoused, long-term unsheltered residents.”
The vision was initially championed by Bishop Charles Ellis, whose dream was to house young men aging out of foster care.
Deputy Director Lynette Wright of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services gave some context: “In Wayne County alone, there are 3,400 youth in foster care, and that is why efforts like this are phenomenal for young people aging out of care who often experience homelessness and unstable housing," she said.
The redevelopment is also an accomplishment for local history preservation. It includes the restoration of the iconic Brewster Wheeler Rec Center which had been closed for years.
"We're also saving the Brewster Wheeler Rec Center and restoring it to its luster and glory and bringing back to the community a legendary gymnasium where Joe Louis and the Globetrotters used to practice," says Mayor Duggan.
The initial success of the project is the result of years of partnership and financial commitment, officials said.
It's largely financed by Fifth Third Bank, Comerica Bank is providing nearly $40 million of debt and equity to bring this vision to life.
