ISAAC
The entire audience rose to their feet at the Public Meeting in October, in response to Deacon Pat Vinge’s call for us all to support new affordable housing. One exciting way we can live up to our pledge is to be at the Trailblazers Tribute and Tiny Houses of H.O.P.E. Reception on Friday, January 25, 5:30 pm at NACD (Northside Association for Community Development) 612 N. Park St, Kalamazoo 49007.
The new Tiny Houses of H.O.P.E. Pilot Project will be launched that night—six 400 sq. ft. architect-designed houses, with support services and a training building for carpentry, catering and tailoring skills, to be built this year on the corner of North St. and N. Westnedge Ave. The Tiny Houses of H.O.P.E. will be for people with the most difficulty getting housing: “able-bodied adults without dependents who have a criminal background or substance abuse disorder history.” The leaders of this impressive project have come through Drug Court themselves and proven that people with a criminal background and substance abuse history can turn their lives around and become leaders in the community.
The Tiny Houses of H.O.P.E are a project of Helping Other People Exceed (H.O.P.E.) thru Navigation, directed by CEO Gwendolyn Hooker. Two members of the ISAAC Housing Task Force, Ben Brown and Tobi Hanna-Davies, are on the Tiny Houses of H.O.P.E. steering committee.
The Rev. Faith Fowler, who inspired the Tiny Houses of H.O.P.E. in Kalamazoo, will be guest speaker at the January 25 Reception. She wrote Tiny Homes in a Big City about the very successful Tiny Homes in Detroit created by Cass Community Social Services, which she directs. Click on casscommunity.org/tinyhomes/ and see the 2017 video of Tiny Homes Detroit, which received over 5 MILLION views in its first 24 hours!
Other news is coming soon about the Local History of Racism and Segregation workshop being hosted by the ISAAC Housing Task Force and TRHT (Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation) for City Commissioners and Council Members, County Commissioners, Township Trustees and their municipalities’ staff.
– Tobi Hanna-Davies, Housing Task Force co-chair
Ed Genesis is an artist, poet, musician, organizer, entrepreneur, and community leader. Born and raised in Gary, Indiana and moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan permanently in his early 20’s, his love of art/music, his passion for his people and community, and his gift of creativity are evident in all areas of his work. In October 2018 Ed Genesis released a song to accompany the campaign he was working on around school push out, entitled Junior High, which was distributed nationwide including on his own iHeart radio station, Spotify, and iTunes.