Transforming The Morningside Neighborhood

The revitalization effort will be expanded over time to cover a number of neighborhoods surrounding Detroit schools.

The state’s new initiative will help make neighborhoods like Morningside Commons on Detroit’s east side, stronger.

The work by Habitat for Humanity Detroit volunteers is continuing on Lakepointe Street.

Up and down Lakepointe, new homes are evidence of the commitment and effort to transform this community.

“Rebuild houses where it made sense. Do critical repairs with other homes around where families are already living in them. Demolish homes where it makes sense and that’s a key piece now that the Governor, I think, is bringing to the table is, that demolition,” said Vincent Tilford, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Detroit.

The demolition work is planned for areas around Clark Preparatory Academy.

“When we all look for neighborhoods to live in, we’re looking for good schools and we want our children to have safe walkways to schools as well.  So when you couple the demolition efforts with the work that we’re doing, we’re making the neighborhood safer for the school,” Tilford said.

This community has partnered with a number of organizations including Habitat for Humanity and U Snap Back as well as corporate supporters.  The word that the state is now coming in as well is met with enthusiasm.”

O’Dell Tate is President of the Morningside Community Association.  He raised the question of state support for neighborhoods with Governor Snyder back in April.

“I’m quite pleased that he was listening and that this is a great effort from his administration…to come into this community and to invest the funds that’s necessary to take down houses that are dangerous or would bring any kind of harm to a community that would be perhaps a haven for crime or things of that nature,” Tate said.

Tate calls MorningSide a community on the rise. Vincent Tilford agrees.

“There’s a lot of investment that’s already been made in this community plus they have a terrific neighborhood association. I mean…if you’re going to come into MorningSide you’re going to be embraced by a group of folks who love this neighborhood. MorningSide residents, many of them have lived here for a number of years and we think we can build on that,” Tilford said.