New Beginnings on Three Mile

Exterior renovation work happening at the first home on Three Mile. Image courtesy of Rachel Pisano

U-SNAP-BAC is a local non-profit that has had a presence in the Morningside neighborhood for over 30 years. They have been working on housing redevelopment work on the East Side of Detroit since they were founded with the goal to empower residents to impact the future of Detroit as stated in their mission. They do this in a variety of ways: from new housing development and renovations, to connecting people to housing resources and building coalitions. In Morningside alone they have built or renovated around 80 homes. This year they are adding two more homes to the list.

One of their latest efforts has been rehabbing two houses on Three Mile which they purchased from the Detroit Landbank Authority. The goal is to renovate these homes completely - from needed HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems, to brand new roofs and finishes – and sell them to low-to-moderate income first time homebuyers. This allows these individuals build equity while helping to stabilize the community. Linda Smith has been the executive director of U-SNAP-BAC since 1995 and has worked hard to get these projects underway. The first of the two homes is well into construction and the construction has a local story too.

The general contractor for the project, Steve Manning, is a local himself. He currently lives on Mack and has been in the area for 30 years. Working on projects this close to home means a lot to him. Besides these two houses, Steve has worked on many others in the neighborhood. He started working on rehabbing homes when he was 22 years old and has been a licensed contractor since 2007. To him the work he does is more than just work. He told me “This is not what I do, it's what I am. If I hit the lottery and I didn't have to work another day in my life, I would still do it”. And that passion is clear to anyone who talks to him. He currently does his rehab work during the day and works a full-time night shift job at Chrysler.

His crew has worked tirelessly on this project, recently completing the roof on the first home, and continuing exterior improvement efforts. He says the greatest challenge on the projects so far has been trying to deal with the Michigan winter weather the past month. Though the cold temps and snow delayed some of the roof work, Steve and the team are confident they are on track to create a beautiful home for this great cause.

A complete install of a new roof. Image courtesy of Jim West

Eric Dueweke is the current Chair of the Board for U-SNAP-BAC and shared that this work is important for many reasons, but ultimately, he recognizes that there will be two less empty homes and two more residents who will fit into the wonderful community Morningside is. His dream would be to see zero empty houses in the neighborhood and this project is just one step closer to getting there.

Keep an eye out for all the great working coming from U-SNAP-BAC and check out more of what they are all about at their website: usnapbac.org/.