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EASTPOINTE — More than 50 local families now have a place to call home.
On May 20, Community Housing Network held a ribbon-cutting to officially announce the opening of the Erin Park subdivision near Stephens Drive and Gratiot Avenue.
The new neighborhood is built on the site of the former Deerfield Elementary School. Erin Park consists of 52 duplex-style one- and two-bedroom homes, and the units are for households with incomes between 30% and 80% of the area median income. The residents pay rent based on the AMI, and it varies per family.
Each unit is available as a rental for 15 years, after which time, existing tenants will be given the opportunity to buy the home in an effort to establish neighborhood stabilization.
“We screen for eligibility. It’s designed for working families. The neighborhood is self-contained,” CHN President Marc Craig said. “We want the folks that live here to have pride in their neighborhood. I’d like to bring down the stigma attached to affordable housing. Some of the people have some special needs or perhaps they are formerly homeless or experienced domestic violence. We want everyone to take pride living next door to someone who has a different story.”
CHN is a nonprofit organization committed to providing homes for people in need in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties. CHN works to prevent homelessness and to provide housing assistance and development, community education and referral, advocacy and additional services. The total cost to develop Erin Park was $14.8 million.
“We receive funding from several sources. We have strong relationships with all the public mental health systems in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, and the departments of housing and urban developments that allow us to provide housing,” Craig said. CHN also works with private investors.
According to officials, Erin Park is located near many employment opportunities and public transportation along Nine Mile Road and Gratiot, as well as Groesbeck Highway. Erin Park is fully leased at the present time.
Delrika Jackson, her daughter and her fiancé moved into their new residence Aug. 11, 2021.
“We’re all moved in. We are so fortunate to be living in this beautiful community now. I love it. It’s mine,” Jackson said. “It feels great. It’s just peace of mind.”
Jackson shared her story at the ribbon-cutting. Prior to moving to Erin Park, Jackson and her family lived in a shelter for six months. Jackson said she was so stressed out about the living arrangements.
“I was just worried about my daughter,” she said.
While in the shelter, Jackson learned of CHN and worked with a case manager to move forward in the program. Jackson’s daughter is now attending Eastpointe Community Schools, and Jackson is now working to earn her high school diploma. From there, her goal is work in the nursing field “where I will be able to help people every day.”
“Without the support of this program, I don’t know where we would be today,” Jackson said. “The feeling of independence is something that will continue to motivate me.”
“She was so grateful to have a home she and her family could live in,” Craig said. “It was very gracious of her to make herself vulnerable. I think it’s important to tell her story of people who struggled and needed a home.”
