Dear ICCF Community Homes friends and partners,
One of the biggest blessings of working in affordable housing is getting to meet families who moved from a state of despair to long-term stability and thriving. Many of them are writing their own stories that began before my time at ICCF Community Homes and will continue long into the future. These accomplishments can’t be measured in a single issue of Blueprints.
I’m excited for you to be introduced to Janice Dorsey, an artist, mother, homeowner, and ICCF’s newest board member. She faced difficult circumstances after arriving in Grand Rapids in the ‘80s, and was put in touch with ICCF. Eventually she was able to buy a home through a program facilitated by ICCF in the Baxter neighborhood.
Not only did this home change Janice's life, but over decades it was a light in an uncertain world for her children and dozens of foster kids and other children in need. Many of those children have grown up and now have homes and children of their own. Janice has truly turned the gift of home into a gift for many generations.
Stories like Janice's clearly show why safe, affordable housing in the hands of local families is such a sound investment, both for individual households and whole communities. Our long-term goal is to see the seeds that our neighbors planted in faith bloom into strength and longevity for generations to come. Like the tree mentioned in Jeremiah 17:8 which is planted by the water and does not fear heat or drought, we are always seeking to produce results that remain green and fruitful because of strong roots.
What seeds can you plant today that will create blessings long into the future?
Grace and peace,
Ryan
VerWys
President and CEO rverwys@iccf.org
RSVP 1 week prior to: Ellen Hekman at ehekman@iccf.org or 616.336.9333 x617
Learn more about our vision for housing justice and how YOU can make an impact.
SEP 21 open to all UPCOMING LUNCH & LEARNS DEC 7 open to all OCT 26 church leaders
Blueprints • Fall 2023 2
Our long-term goal is to see the seeds that our neighbors planted in faith bloom into strength and longevity for generations to come.
ICCF Homes & Hope Legacy Luncheon 2023
ICCF Community Homes hosted the second annual Homes & Hope Legacy Luncheon on May 11, 2023, as an enjoyable way to express our gratitude to donors who have included a legacy contribution to ICCF in their estate plans.
Our former CEO, Jonathan Bradford, introduced this year’s featured speaker, former Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, who has been an ICCF friend since our earliest days.
In his remarks, George powerfully affirmed ICCF’s early history and our present vision, stating that ICCF’s investments in real estate were similar to the prophet Jeremiah’s purchase of his cousin’s field at Anathoth while all around him Israel was in panic as it fell to Babylon’s onslaught (Jeremiah 32).
He spoke about ICCF’s very earliest days, when “a group of people came together who had the audacity to believe that in a moment of deep despair God’s love could penetrate even that impossible situation to bring hope to a people who were ready to give up.” And like Jeremiah’s purchase of his cousin’s field, Heartwell described ICCF as a “…sign of hope, the evidence of redemption, the promise of God’s love that pierces even the most hopeless times”.
Donors who make a planned gift commitment in their estate plans help ensure that the mission of ICCF Community Homes—equitable opportunity, affordable homes, thriving neighborhoods—will continue to meet critical present needs in ways that leave a “legacy” of blessing for future generations. For more event photos and information, visit iccf.org/planned-gifts and click on the “Legacy Luncheon 2023” button.
ICCF started when "a group of people came together who had the audacity to believe that in a moment of deep despair God's love could penetrate even that impossible situation."
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ICCF Community Homes
Here for a Reason
One ICCF client for nearly forty years has deeply invested in local youth through her role as mom, foster parent, educator, and now member of the ICCF Board of Directors.
When Janice moved with her son (age 2) and daughter (age 10) to West Michigan in November 1984, they had nothing.
“I had never heard of Grand Rapids,” Janice recalls. “I had lost my apartment and was living on someone’s couch. I had no furniture, no car. Just my kids and diapers, that was it.” Only 28 years old, Janice left her home in Gary, Indiana, to seek a better future. She had been laid off from her job in the school system when a thriving industrial community started to feel the squeeze of an economic downturn
due to overseas competition. Houses were empty, businesses closed, and Janice knew it was time to leave.
Once in Grand Rapids, she wasn’t sure they would fare much better. Janice and her kids crowded into the only apartment she could afford. She had no stove or refrigerator, instead relying on the apartment’s space heater flames to warm themselves and their meals. Her children shared their single mattress, while Janice slept on an old, raggedy chair that had been left behind. They had no phone, no washer or dryer, and no appropriate clothing for the brutal Michigan winter.
“I would get two burritos from the gas station next door and cut them up into small pieces for dinner. We ate it with water,” says Janice. “When you opened the apartment’s cabinets, mice fell out. The mice ate the toes out of my only pair of shoes, so I had to wear double socks.” Fighting to make a life for her family, Janice walked long distances to the welfare office, the food bank, and the utility company. When she successfully got their heat turned on that winter, a corroded gas line led to an emergency evacuation and overnight hospital stay. She remembers the fireman who told her, “You must be here on earth for a reason, because I was supposed to be doing a recovery, not a rescue.”
With support from local agencies like the Salvation Army and her caseworker, Janice earned a job as a daycare teacher and moved into a safer rental. Janice incorporated her gift for art—crafts, painting, writing—into her students’ daily
routine and became a favorite of their parents. Then the daycare suddenly closed. One of Janice’s coworkers enlisted her help to relaunch the daycare out of the first floor of his home. Janice painted Disney characters on the wall, he cleaned the carpets, and they opened for business. “The parents were so eager that before the business was open they were dropping off kids to my house,” Janice remembers.
It just so happens that Janice’s new daycare was located right across the street from a house that was soon listed for sale. It was available through a City of Grand Rapids program being facilitated by ICCF. Her coworker suggested it would be a good investment, but Janice wasn’t sure. She had never been a homeowner and the place would need work. During an open house hosted by ICCF, her coworker helped her measure the rooms and encouraged her to make future plans. Janice tried not to be discouraged by what other potential homebuyers said about their savings, their retirement plans, or their bonuses. Her handwritten application was copied twice, meticulously proofread, and then submitted to
Janice, pictured here with her two children, purchased her home through the Urban Homestead program facilitated by ICCF in 1988.
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When Janice survived a gas leak at a former apartment, the fireman told her, "You must be here for a reason."
the City of Grand Rapids. She was invited to an in-person interview and asked what her future plans would be if she were to receive the home.
Janice told them, “I want to be a foster parent. I don’t want kids to ever have to go through what I did in my life. I didn’t have anything. The house I grew up in was condemned, uninhabitable. I don’t want kids to ever feel like they don’t have anybody.” When Janice received notice that she was chosen to own the home, she was ecstatic. She paid a $1.00 down payment to the City of Grand Rapids, and she and her children moved in right away, but didn't have much furniture or decor to make it feel like home.
“A good friend told me, ‘That’s why they make curtains. Nobody needs to know what you have or don’t have except for you,’” recalls Janice. She got connected to one of our partners, Home Repair Services, to help with home maintenance and continued working and saving. Soon after, she made good on her words and took in her first foster child, a young girl. For years, Janice’s home became known as a safe haven for local kids.
“My first foster daughter was like another child to me,” says Janice. “Children who lived with me over the years weren’t in foster care, but they were my children’s friends, and something was going on at home, so they ate here and slept here as they needed.” Janice is immensely proud of all her kids, including a young woman who just earned her Master’s Degree before heading on to medical school in Boston. Janice considers their successes to be her own.
“Generational wealth—it’s not in the bank, it’s where you lay your head,” says Janice. She remembers the day that she carried her final cash payment to the bank for her mortgage. “They said to me, ‘If you can wait, we’ll type the deed up.’ I thought, ‘If I could wait all those years, I can wait a few more minutes.’”
Janice has lived in her home for almost forty years. She’s seen the neighborhood change and grow, but one thing is constant—everybody knows and greets Ms. Janice with a smile. The local kids are always asking for snacks or a peek at her famous toy room, which features years of collectibles. Through raising her own children, her service
at the daycare center, and her years as a foster parent, Janice’s legacy is clearly demonstrated as she invests in the next generation. She uses her art, her life experiences, and her home to surround kids with love and challenge them to be their best selves.
“Everybody on this street knows me, but I want them to know one another,” says Janice. She values a community that looks out for one another and cares about the collective good. When she greets old friends, the first thing they ask is where she lives now. Every time, Janice answers “Still on Bates Street. By the grace of God, I’m in the same place.”
This summer, Janice accepted an appointment to the ICCF Community Homes Board of Directors. During her term of service, she’ll help shape the initiatives that provide affordable rental and homeownership opportunities to our community. “Being appointed to the ICCF Board is coming full circle,” Janice says. “If I had stayed in Gary, how would I have had the privilege of being a neighbor with this life I had? Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some tough times here. But I’m so grateful. I’ve been so blessed in this house. I want to be the difference.”
Janice's extensive toy collection is a favorite with neighborhood children.
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Janice invites neighborhood girls over for snacks and chalk drawing at her home.
ICCF Community Homes
The Impact of You: Volunteer Groups
Transforming a house into a home takes a lot of people. Fortunately, ICCF Community Homes has been blessed with an incredible collection of talented and eager volunteers to help us get the job done. Over the last year, more than 600 people have volunteered with ICCF, dedicating over 10,500 service hours. Volunteer Coordinator Sheryl Baas is extremely proud of all the work her volunteers have accomplished this year.
“Thanks to our tireless volunteers, so many homes have been carried through to completion this year,” said Sheryl. “There are several renovation projects where the volunteers have ranged from middle school students helping with cleaning and yard work to retired professionals framing and drywalling. Meeting people from all ages and walks of life is one of the things I love most about my job.”
Volunteers play a vital role in keeping the non-construction side of ICCF going as well. This summer, several school and youth groups volunteered at Family Haven, our emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness. The team spent time cleaning windows, weeding,
landscaping, planting a garden, and playing with children living at Family Haven.
“It’s a joy to see the children at Family Haven playing with middle and high school volunteers,” said Sheryl. “They can’t get enough of the big kids hanging out with them.” A large group of consistent adult volunteers also helps organize the donation center at Family Haven on a weekly basis. “That is a huge job,” she shared. “We get so many donations of clothing, food, and household supplies, and they all need to be sorted and organized. Thanks to the hard work of numerous volunteers, our crowded donation center has been transformed into a welcoming area for our residents.”
You don’t need any special skills to volunteer with ICCF—just a desire to serve. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Sheryl Baas at sbaas@iccf.org . There are many opportunities for individuals and groups, including those associated with a church, business, or club. Thank you to our amazing volunteers!
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Housing Pipeline
We’re excited to share the latest real estate & development news from ICCF Community Homes as we pursue equitable opportunity, affordable homes, and thriving neighborhoods.
THE SEYMOUR
The Seymour will create 27 condo units in the Alger Heights neighborhood at the site of the former Seymour Christian School. We are grateful to have secured over $3 million in grants to help move this redevelopment forward and have an additional $5 million in grant requests under review. In August, The Seymour location was
chosen for a special announcement about the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Program with Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist, Senator Winnie Brinks, MSHDA Executive Director Amy Hovey, and more area leaders.
SINGLE-FAMILY AFFORDABLE HOMES
We recently celebrated the sale of the 18th home through the Community Homes Land Trust. We anticipate adding 6 newly constructed single-family homes to the Land Trust this fall.
MADISON APARTMENTS
We are exploring opportunities for affordable housing at 1309 Madison SE. We recently hosted an open house to engage neighbors and area
stakeholders in the ideation process. Our goal is to ensure the plans are meaningful, practical, and beautiful to the community. We are excited about bringing more affordable housing to this neighborhood.
7 ICCF Community Homes
415 Martin Luther King Jr. St. SE, Suite 100 Grand Rapids, MI 49507 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID GRAND RAPIDS, MI PERMIT #313 Our Mission Equitable Opportunity. Affordable Homes. Thriving Neighborhoods. P: (616) 336-9333 | ICCF.org Building Affordable Homes ICCF is currently constructing several single-family homes that will be set aside as affordable homeownership opportunities.
