Program leverages federal funds to provide housing to immigrants and refugees
Hamtramck —Wayne County is partnering with Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, Samaritas and the city of Hamtramck as part of Freedom Village, a resettlement program designed to provide refugees and immigrants with transitional affordable housing. Funded with federal housing dollars, construction of three two-family homes in Hamtramck is already underway and project completion is expected by the summer of 2020.
“Freedom Village seeks to provide a better life to low-income refugees and immigrants by surrounding them with the resources they need to eventually pursue permanent homeownership opportunities,” said Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans. “We are a welcoming county that derives its strength from the diversity of its residents, and this project epitomizes that core value.”
The purpose of the Hamtramck project is to develop new-construction affordable housing on Wayne County Land Bank-owned parcels in the City of Hamtramck, with Wayne County Metropolitan Community Action Agency serving as the property developer and owner and Samaritas serving as the refugee placement and services provider. The program is designed to leverage partner resources to provide job training, school readiness and homebuyer assistance that better position the families to pursue permanent home ownership opportunities while temporarily housing them near resources like Wayne County’s Federally Qualified Health Center in Hamtramck.
“Freedom Village is a beacon of hope and compassion. The project demonstrates Wayne County’s commitment to America’s longstanding practice of helping people seeking asylum,” said Wayne Metro CEO Louis D. Piszke. “I couldn’t be more proud that Wayne Metro is a partner in welcoming refugees to our community where they can live and breathe free.”
The Wayne County HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), a federal grant program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Development (HUD), is a tool that supports affordable housing by providing rental housing and homeownership opportunities for low-income families.
“Samaritas is incredibly excited to be partnering with Wayne County and Wayne Metro for this important project that will create opportunities for affordable transitional housing for the New Americans families in our care,” said Sam Beals, Samaritas CEO. “Samaritas is the lead organization in Michigan helping to resettle refugee families for more than 70 years, and having beautiful builds like this one, appropriately called, Freedom Village, in Hamtramck, is much needed and a great location for this project as a welcoming city in metro Detroit.”
A development agreement between the City of Hamtramck, County of Wayne, Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency, Samaritas, and the Wayne County Land Bank Corporation outlines each organization’s responsibilities under this unique arrangement.
