Ferndale welcomes LGBTQ+ inclusive affordable housing project for seniors
Ferndale — Local and federal officials broke ground Wednesday on the Shepherd House, the city’s newest affordable housing project for senior adults, and the first in Michigan to be specifically marketed as LGBTQ inclusive.
The $22 million project is named for Raymond E. Shepherd, a former deacon at the Metropolitan Community Church of Detroit and a volunteer at Affirmations, the Ferndale LGBTQ+ center. Shepherd was an out gay man, a lifelong Ferndale resident and an “integral part of the community,” said Rev. Dr. Roland Stringfellow, a pastor at MCC Detroit and sponsor of the project.
“When you think about the role of a shepherd, that is what we’re hoping this project will be for folks who don’t have children or family who may not welcome them or accept them,” Stringfellow said. “To be in a place where you don’t have to hide, you don’t have to go back into the closet, you don’t have to become small or lose your voice — this place will shepherd people in.”
Shepherd House is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024 and will contain 53 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments for older adults. It is not exclusively for members of the LGBTQ+ community but will be specifically welcoming and inclusive to those individuals.
The project developer is Full Circle Communities, a Chicago-based nonprofit. Shepherd House is the developer’s second affordable housing project for members of the LGBTQ+ community in Metro Detroit. The Ruth Ellis Clairmount Center, an affordable housing complex and health care center for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness, opened in Detroit last fall.
The Shepherd House will provide housing options to seniors hurt by the growth of luxury developments in Ferndale, according to a news release about the project. Ferndale Mayor Melanie Piana said it is one of the most complicated housing projects the city has ever embarked on.
“Equity, affordable housing, accessibility and welcoming communities — folks, this is the gold standard,” U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, said at Wednesday’s groundbreaking.
Despite its wealth, Oakland County is experiencing an affordable housing crisis, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter said. The county contributed $1 million to the Shepherd House project.
“Equity is now part of everything that we’re doing in Oakland County. We’re making sure that we’re looking in every nook and cranny of the county to make sure that the opportunity that exists for some people in Oakland County, exists for everyone,” Coulter said. “I can think of no better way to do that than to provide affordable, safe, quality housing to our vulnerable community in the LGBT community.”
The project was granted low-income tax credits thanks to support for the program at the federal and local level, said Kelly Rose, chief housing solutions officer at the Michigan State Housing Development Authority
“It’s extremely important that people are paying a reasonable rent so that they can flourish in the rest of their lives,” Rose said.
“It is so important that folks like myself, as we age, that we have somewhere that we know that we could choose to live, be our authentic selves and not have to worry,” said Cornelius Wilson with the HOMES coalition. “As we move forward, we want to see that other projects like this can happen around southeastern Michigan and throughout the state.”
Source: Hannah Mackay, detroitnews.com
