Alternatives for Girls (AFG), Full Circle Communities, and the city broke ground on a $17.3 million development aimed at helping those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Dr. Maya Angelou Village will bring 45 affordable housing units to the Miller Grove neighborhood in northwest Detroit.
Ten of the units will be offered at 30% Area Median Income (AMI), or to those making about $19,000. These will come out to about $470 per month. 12 will be offered at 50% AMI (about $32,000 per year), and 23 units will get rental assistance from MSHDA. These units will be rented for $450 for a one-bedroom, $540 for a two-bedroom and $624 for a three-bedroom apartment. Along with the apartments, the facility will include case management offices for residents, and indoor and outdoor community space.
Alternatives to Girls is a Detroit non-profit that offers support and assistance to high-risk young women who might be in danger of violence, homelessness, or exploitation. AFG received approval from the family of Dr. Angelou to use the name for the development.
“Her memory and words will serve as an inspiration for the residents of the neighborhood and all of Detroit for generations to come through this new development,” said AFG CEO Amy Good. “Though affordable housing is an imperative in Detroit, we didn’t want to provide a place only to sleep and eat. We wanted to create a space that serves the whole individual. This center advances AFG’s mission to meet housing and supportive services needs of young people across Detroit and will be a place where lives are changed.”
AFG is partnering with Chicago-based Full Circle Communities, who also worked on the year Ruth Ellis Center, which opened last year.
The project is located on Burt Road, near Grand River and McNichols, on land that had been vacant for over a decade. It should open next year.
