More than housing: Housing Commission builds stability, opportunity and community

Wanda Couch moved often as a child. Her family moved about six times from sixth grade to the end of high school. Each move meant Couch had to make new friends. She sometimes worried about where her family would live. 

“You’re a kid and can’t have your friends come over because you don’t know where you’re going to be living,” Couch says.

Couch now works for the Grand Rapids Housing Commission, helping families who get housing assistance plan for the future. 

“Once they’re housed, what’s next?” Couch asks. “Let’s work with the families to see where they want to go from that.”

The Housing Commission does more than provide homes. Staff help residents find services, save money, and build credit. They help them work toward goals such as keeping a job or buying a home. Other groups bring food, counseling, health services, and more to where residents live.

Lifting a burden

Essence Trimble is the commission’s acting director of property management. Before she joined the commission, she spent eight to nine years managing other rental homes. She met families who worried each time their leases were up because they did not know if they could pay more rent.

“Every year rents became less and less affordable,” Trimble says. She wanted to help these families. 

The commission has homes for families and older adults. Hope Community is a housing site that also serves people who have been homeless. Trimble says many people are waiting for housing. When someone moves out, staff get the home ready for the next person on the list.

Having an affordable home can give a family time to think about other needs. Trimble recalls a mother who was able to spend more time helping her children with school, making doctor’s appointments, and learning about programs that might help her family. She did not have to spend as much time worrying about where they would live.

Another woman told Trimble she had wanted a place of her own for years. After she moved into a commission home, she and her son had a place they could afford. She could keep working and plan for their future.

“They’re able to focus less on the hard, stressful parts and live a more fulfilling life,” Trimble says.

Individual goals

The commission offers several ways for residents to take the next step. Couch says staff first ask people what they need and what they hope to do.

“Let’s just start where we are right now, this present moment,” she says. “What are your needs? And let’s try to meet those needs.”

The commission’s EnVision Center offers classes that help with jobs, health, school, and other life skills. Its Family Self-Sufficiency Program pairs each family with a staff member. Together, they make a plan and find services to help the family reach its goals.

The program, which can last up to five years, can help families save money. When a family earns more and pays more of its rent, the program may put money into an account for them. The family can use the money when they finish the program.

Couch remembers a participant who did not have a job when she started. Over time, her account grew to about $34,000. She earned more money and bought a home, using some of the savings for a down payment and other costs.

“Anyone who completes any of our programs, I see that as success,” she says. “Every story is different.”

Buying a home is a goal for many families, but that can take time. A bank must agree to lend the money. A family may need to save more or improve its credit first. Getting to work or finding childcare can make these goals harder to reach.

Staff help families find services that may make those problems easier to handle while allowing each family to move at its own pace. Workshops help residents through the process. Some people who get help through the Housing Choice Voucher program can use that money to pay a mortgage instead of rent. 

The commission also helps residents with day-to-day needs. Erin Shibley is a resident services specialist. She gets to know people who live in commission homes and helps them find support. She also works with groups that bring services to residents.

“Sometimes those steps are getting a job or saving money, and sometimes those steps are making it through a day at a time,” she says.

Collaborating with outside groups

Many groups work with the commission. Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services has two full-time staff members who visit Adams Park, Antoine Court, and other sites. They talk with residents one-on-one or in groups to help people find care.

Each commission site has a food pantry that Feeding America West Michigan helps stock. Meals on Wheels helps serve lunch at three sites. In the summer, two sites host a Grand Rapids Public Schools meal program for children.

A YMCA van visits several sites so people can buy fresh fruits and vegetables. The Michigan Secretary of State’s mobile office also visits commission sites, saving residents a trip to a state office.

Other groups Shibley works with include the Literacy Center of West Michigan, Area Agency on Aging, Grand Rapids Public Library, Corewell Health, and Senior Neighbors. Churches and volunteers also give food, supplies, and time.

“We make it our job to know what is available and connect our residents to those resources,” Shibley says.

The commission also has programs that help families manage money. One program reports on-time rent payments to credit bureaus, helping participating residents build credit. Couch says better credit can help someone apply for a car loan or a home loan.

Another program, AIM to Save, helped families open savings accounts. The program made monthly deposits and matched participants’ deposits up to a certain level. Couch says some families used their savings to cover unexpected situations such as a high utility bill, a lost job, or a car repair. The commission plans to put more focus on savings accounts for children as the program grows.

Each service meets a different need, and no one program can solve every problem. Couch and Trimble say each resident has their own goal. One person may want to stay in their home and care for their family. Another may hope to buy a home one day.

“The end goal could be whatever you want it to be,” Trimble says.

Photos by Tommy Allen

Housing+ looks at how the Grand Rapids Housing Commission and its partners help residents build stability through affordable housing, rental assistance, senior and disability supports, pathways to homeownership, financial empowerment, and the many other services that shape daily life across Kent and Ottawa counties. Through our editorially independent solutions journalism, Rapid Growth digs into the people, programs, partnerships, and pressures shaping housing access, and what it really takes for individuals and families to build more stable futures. This series is underwritten by the Grand Rapids Housing Commission, which Mployer named a 2026 Top Benefits Award winner. Learn more at grhousing.org.