Write a House in Detroit
I stumbled upon a unique idea happening in Detroit:
Fix-up smaller houses in Detroit neighborhood’s that need a help; offer the houses as a residency to writers in Detroit neighborhood that needs help. The writer gets to keep the house after staying two years. Another vacancy is prevented.
Could it work?
Write a House is giving it a shot.
They are currently fixing up the Peach House on a block that is just one mile north of my friend (and session drummer), Stuart Tucker’s neighborhood in Hamtramck!
This wouldn’t be an easy move, by any stretch. Stuart’s neighborhood in Hamtramck is quite active, maintained, and diverse. But that block where the Peach House is located isn’t as vibrant. When you get off the Davison Freeway, there is notable blight. Also, there is a strip club two blocks away on Conant.
This wouldn’t be an easy move, but again, saving a neighborhood isn’t easy. Powerhouse Productions, another local nonprofit focused on bringing artists into Detroit offers an honest, inspiring reminder about the complications of living in the Motor City. They also are located close to the Peach House.
Either way, it’s a cool idea to draw creative career-focused folks to the area, give them a chance at homeownership, and give a neighborhood that has activity greater potential of surviving the Detroit financial fallout.
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