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SOUTHFIELD — Housing affordability is a national conversation, but some groups are offering local solutions.
On Oct. 26, seven Bank of America employees volunteered with Habitat for Humanity Oakland County at 20303 Westover Ave. in Southfield for the Global Build initiative, which aims to support affordable housing and revitalization efforts in communities worldwide.
Bank of America presented Habitat Oakland with $40,000 to renovate homes in Oakland County.
“We really value this partnership with Bank of America. They’ve been supporting us for many years. It’s companies like this that take this responsibility seriously that really helps us to get this work done,” Ann Duke, Habitat Oakland’s chief development officer, said.
Bank of America donated $3.1 million towards Global Build this year as part of its three-year commitment to Habitat. Across the world, BOA employees will join hands with over 100 Habitat organizations to help build, repair or renovate homes. The company also supports Women Build projects in local communities and facilitates the Bank of America Better Money Habits program with new Habitat homeowners.
Since the first Global Build took place in 2014, more volunteer efforts have taken place, engaging more than 110 Habitat organizations in the U.S., Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam.
“Everyone should be able to live in safe, affordable housing and to access homeownership,” Matt Elliott, the president of Bank of America Michigan, stated in a press release. “Our partnership with Habitat Oakland is dedicated to helping, not only financially but with our employee volunteers, to revitalize and stabilize thriving communities in Metro Detroit.”
Duke said most would’ve torn the home on Westover down, but Habitat Oakland had a vision for the now-three-bedroom, three-bathroom home with a two-car garage.
“It was a total rehab,” Duke said. A makeshift primary suite was created in the loft of the home, and a third bathroom was added to the second level.
Habitat Oakland Chief Operations Officer Scott Milliken has been the main point of contact with the city of Southfield since the municipality partnered with Habitat in 2016.
“We have a like-minded mission to build the community,” Milliken stated. “So it just fit that we would begin this endeavor in Southfield to both rehab existing foreclosed homes that were in the area and also to build new construction on those infill lots that were available.”
Milliken added that he hopes the relationship with Southfield will serve as an example to other Oakland County municipalities that are apprehensive of Habitat’s work in their communities.
Last year, Habitat Oakland completed the construction of its first-ever multifamily home and its first-ever all-electric home, a duplex in Southfield. Milliken explained that converting the lot that was originally zoned as a single-family lot was a learning experience, but the Southfield community welcomed the duplex. He added that because of that trust, Habitat is able to move forward with the plan to build three more duplexes in that same neighborhood.
“Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County has been a great partner to the city of Southfield through a number of initiatives from the Rock the Block neighborhood improvement program and new affordable housing construction to the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative partnership between the Southfield Non-Profit Neighborhood Corporation, Habitat and the City,” stated Mayor Kenson Siver. “They continue to be instrumental in helping to renew Southfield neighborhoods house by house in an effort to improve and maintain property values for all Southfield residents.”
For more information on Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County, visit www.habitatoakland.org.
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