An Inside Look At The Detroit Works Project
DETROIT (WWJ) - In his State of the City address, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing pledged to breathe new life into his Detroit Works Project, designed to revitalize select neighborhoods in the city.
The mayor announced that $10 million has been pumped into the three areas targeted by the Detroit Works Project. Formed in 2010, the program is designed to realign some city services, leverage available resources to make improvements in neighborhoods and motivate citizens to move back into the city's core neighborhoods.
WWJ's City Beat Reporter Vickie Thomas got a closer look at the project with Marja Winters, Deputy Director of the city's Planning and Development Department. Standing in front of a home on Stratford in the city's Sherwood Forest neighborhood, Winters explained how homeowners take advantage of a matching grant program for upgrades.
"I think it is working. We are excited about the partnership that we have with Citizen's Bank, which provided matching grants for homeowners in the three demonstration areas," she said.
So far, several people have benefitted from $2 million of combined investment opportunities. The majority of the homes received new windows and roofs.
"Over 150 residents have participated in this grant program," said Winters. "This clearly demonstrates that people who have options to move and probably have the finances to move, instead of moving are saying 'You know what? I'm going to stay. I believe this is a good investment and I'm going to invest in my house and be a positive contributor to the city.'"
