Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation Rebuilding Neighborhoods “From the Ground Up”

Detroit Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s (LISC) “From the Ground Up,” is a three-year community development campaign targeting Detroit neighborhoods through the support of nonprofit community development corporations (CDC) to increase individual and community wealth, create new and affordable housing opportunities for low-income residents, provide more diverse retail establishments, and transform communities into neighborhoods that are safe and stable havens for families.

This past year, Detroit LISC invested more than $7 million in neighborhood economic development projects. Over the entire campaign, the housing and commercial pipeline of partner CDCs supported through Detroit LISC has been increased to more than 1,500 single-family and multi-family units of housing, and more than 300,000 square feet of commercial space. In addition, a plan to restore 38,000 parcels of tax reverted property to productive use has been drafted which will have a significant impact on housing development in Detroit.

Now, in its second year of W.K. Kellogg Foundation funding, Detroit LISC continues to focus on creating products and programs that address the challenges facing local CDCs. Detroit LISC’s progress has considerably advanced the pace of redevelopment in Detroit’s neighborhoods by enhancing not only the capacity of CDCs ability to complete jobs, but also the responsiveness and efficiency of city departments, financial institutions and other organizations whose cooperation is essential. The intended goal of “From the Ground Up” is the development of a comprehensive and coordinated service delivery system for CDCs.

For more information about Detroit LISC and its “From the Ground Up” campaign, visit www.lisc.org/detroit/.