Pilot Stage Grant Recipient: East Chadsey Condon Alliance
MiSide (formerly Southwest Solutions) received a $187,000 Pilot Stage grant in July 2023
Lead Organization: MiSide (formerly Southwest Solutions)
Collaborator(s): East Chadsey Condon Alliance (ECCA) members include: Bridging Communities, Chadsey Condon Community Organization, Citizen Robotics, Congress of Communities, DC Palmer LLC, Detroit Future City, Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, National Coalition for Community Capital, University of Michigan Center for Equitable Community & Family Well-Being)
Contact Name: Hector Hernandez, Hector.Hernandez@MISide.org, 313-297-0060
Focus Area: Community wealth-building
Designed for Detroiters of all income levels, the East Chadsey Condon Alliance’s Diversified Community Investment Fund (DCIF) will give residents an opportunity to invest and participate in neighborhood development projects, build wealth and put community economic development in the hands of the community. Neighborhood residents and interested Detroit investors will provide input, influence the design process and will have a democratic say in the management of the DCIF once operational.
Highlights
Pilot Stage Objectives
Together with the residents of the East Chadsey Condon Neighborhood, the ECCA will design and establish a Diversified Community Investment Fund (DCIF) which gives residents opportunities to invest in nearby development projects through a locally managed investment fund with a community ownership model. The DCIF will focus on building affordable homes utilizing energy efficient and digital manufacturing building design. Residents who own side lots, in addition to the publicly owned vacant land, make up about 40% of the neighborhood that is available for infill new construction. The DCIF is critical to making financing available to develop these properties. The East Chadsey Condon Alliance will:
- Engage at least 100 neighborhood residents in four community educational meetings about how to participate (as an investor, property owner, or neighbor).
- Engage at least 80 residents who own side lots (vacant land adjacent to their home) in the design process.
- Develop a model home and demonstration facility.
- Provide homebuyer and financial education.
- Begin a community capital raise of up to $2 million to support the implementation of the DCIF and development of six development projects.
Research Questions & Evaluation
As part of their Pilot Stage grant, the East Chadsey Condon Alliance team is participating in a third-party evaluation conducted by University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions. This evaluation process is designed to help project leaders measure the success of their pilot, consider learnings from the implementation process and apply those learnings to their plans for growth. Among several questions to be explored during the Pilot Stage are:
- How practical and replicable is the DCIF process for other communities?
- How many communities are interested in pursuing a DCIF strategy?
- How does the list of those being contacted compare with that of those engaging in the process?
- How practical and replicable is the model house development process, as a model, for scalable infill development?
Findings will be shared at the end of the Pilot Stage (September 2024). Come back soon to read about early learnings from implementation!