As families in the southeast side of Grand Rapids face difficulty accessing housing, meeting basic needs, and even fears of potential deportation, community leaders in the schools are working hard to provide them with resources and support.
Residents in the city's' southeast neighborhood are facing displacement from communities they have long been a part of due to the increasing costs of housing. Here, residents, grassroots organizers, and city leaders are working together to find solutions to the housing crisis happening in Grand Rapids.
Herman Lee moved to Grand Rapids in search of new opportunities and a chance to start again. After being faced with challenging barriers to affordable and stable housing, Lee shares his journey of finding a place to belong in the southeast community.
After a conversion to Islam, Faheem Nichols began selling oils and scents from his minivan parked on the corner of Eastern and Sherman. Now, 20 years later, what began as Nichols' side business has become West Michigan's first oils and fragrance café.
In Michigan, close to 41,000 people are in prison. Sharae Anderson, a resident of the Madison Square neighborhood, shares how her experience of inhumane treatment at a correctional facility has inspired her to advocate for others.
Racist policies and biases continue to impede neighbors in the Madison Square community who are trying to gain equitable access to economic opportunities and health care. In spite of this, residents are empowering one another to fight the systemic oppression they are faced with every day.
Paula Collier, a resident of the Madison Square neighborhood and host of the Southtown Sustainable Women's Group at Seeds of Promise, is addressing racism by empowering women in her community.
Marked by a history of racism and segregation, members of Grand Rapids' southeast communities share the ways this has blocked access to fostering sustainable neighborhoods -- and how they are working to overcome these barriers.
The city of Grand Rapids is aiming to develop South Division, Burton Heights, and Grandville Avenue into a Corridor Improvement District. To address gentrification and displacement, city officials are in the process of creating a plan with the community through the lens of equity.
Many residents in the city of Grand Rapids are not afforded the opportunity to meet basic needs, such as housing and employment, without first diving deep into bureaucratic roadblocks created to benefit only those in power and with privilege. In the community of Burton Heights, citizens are having to go above and beyond to meet these needs, only to find themselves requiring further advocacy from local organizations and leaders.
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