ICCF Community Homes - Blueprints, Fall 2021

EMPOWERING FAMILIES TO REACH THEIR HOUSING GOALS In This Issue A Message from Our CEO Impact of You 41 Years of Service Proud to Be Home Housing Pipeline

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A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO ICCF BOARD OF DIRECTORS Rhoda Kreuzer, Chair Partners in Action, Inc. Jamecia Adams, Vice Chair Keller Williams Realty Andrew Miedema, Treasurer Great Lakes Region of the Wesleyan Church Arlen-Dean Gaddy, Secretary Erhardt Construction Marjie Dood BASIC Benefits LLC Lee Hardy Calvin University William Jackson Spectrum Health Teresa Jones Christian Reformed Church in North America Eunice Lopez-Martin Steelcase Tom Prince Hungerford Nichols Johana Rodriguez Quist Literacy Center of West Michigan Lexi M. Woods Warner Norcross + Judd LLP Cameron Young Behler-Young

Dear ICCF friends and partners, Recently, I was talking with some family friends who had just bought their first home in Wyoming, a suburb of Grand Rapids. I could see the joy on their faces as they talked about the sense of relief that comes with a permanent home base, especially as their kids were about to return to school. They were ready to put down roots, to create their own seasonal traditions.

While ICCF certainly is in the business of addressing the need for affordable rental homes—increasing from 168 units to more than 700 in the past four years—we began as a concerned group that renovated a single house so that a low-income family could own a safe home. One by one, hundreds of families have followed in their footsteps and found homes to call their own. We have created a broad system of supports for low- and moderate-income homebuyers, including education, housing counseling, and Individual Development Accounts.

In 2018, we added a new layer to our homeownership programming with the Community Homes Land Trust. One of the first land trusts in West Michigan, it is designed to put homeownership within reach for more families who cannot afford homes on the open market. Utilizing well-maintained homes that ICCF already owns, the CHLT incorporates buyer subsidies, a home repair loan fund, and wraparound services to make generational wealth an accessible reality for families across Grand Rapids.

In Michigan and nationwide, the combined factors of COVID, building slowdowns, and other economic pressures have priced many potential buyers out of the market.

A recent report from the National Association of Realtors describes a “once in a generation” crisis in affordable housing availability, and identified the Grand RapidsWyoming area as having a shortfall of 18,600 housing units. The high-pressure market has especially impacted moderate and low income households. ICCF is working to turn the tide of this imbalance of opportunity through the Community Homes Land Trust and homeownership education programs. To date, eight buyers who qualify as low or moderate income have purchased homes in the Land Trust.

In this issue of Blueprints you will meet Tina, who became a first-time homeowner through the Community Homes Land Trust. Her achievement and bright outlook on the future is a reminder of why we are in this work.

Whatever your home situation is, my prayer is that God will provide the right opportunities at the right time so that you and your family can flourish in a home that meets your needs.

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Contact Marie Tiemersma Eakin at mtiemersmaeakin@iccf.org or call (616) 336-9333.

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Grace and Peace,

Ryan VerWys President and CEO rverwys@iccf.org

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PROUD TO BE HOME Tina’s homeownership journey began in 2019 when a bank associate referred her to ICCF. She was trying to build her credit in the hopes of purchasing a house in Grand Rapids, the community in which she had been born and raised. Tina has six children, two adults and four school-age kids, and had been utilizing Section 8 vouchers to make ends meet. She dreamed of purchasing a home that she could pass down to her kids as an inheritance, a place they could fall back on in times of need.

Tina was connected with ICCF’s one-on-one housing counseling and education services. She enrolled in our Individual Development Account (IDA) program, which helps income-qualifying buyers with a matched savings account. Tina put a little bit of money away each month as she was able, dreaming of a place to call her own.

Things were going well until early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Tina lost her job and was struggling to provide for her two adult children and four school-age kids. Her ICCF counselor helped her file for unemployment and put her in touch with crisis resources like supplemental groceries and COVID relief funds. Tina got a new job in October of that year and started saving towards her home again.

“The whole experience was really good for me,” said Tina. “I got to pay off a lot of my debts. It was easier than I thought it would be. Everybody at ICCF was really helpful, and if they didn’t know something they looked around until they found the information.”

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This summer, Tina was notified by ICCF that a Community Homes Land Trust (CHLT) property was becoming available, and it was within her price range. Excitedly, Tina worked hard to prepare the necessary documents and used her IDA savings towards her down payment to purchase her home. In the CHLT, the home is purchased and owned by the client, while the land under the home remains under the ownership of the land trust, and is leased to the new owner for a term of 89 years. If the property owner desires to sell their home, they must abide by a resale formula that allows them to gain a fair return on their investment while also providing another affordable homeownership opportunity for an income-qualified family. In September, Tina completed the purchase on her home and moved her family to their new space.

“I don’t think everybody thought I was happy at my house closing,” laughs Tina. “It was really overwhelming.

I couldn’t show emotion at first. I had just signed a zillion papers. And then I was handed the keys, and it hit me: I’m a homeowner.”

Their new home in Grand Rapids is modest but cozy. Tina utilizes the budgeting skills she learned at ICCF to manage her monthly mortgage and utility payments. She looks forward to many more years of sharing this home with her family.

“Home is anywhere my kids are with me,” said Tina. “As long as they’re with me, and they’re happy, then that’s what home means to me.” B

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IMPACT OF YOU: ADA BIBLE CHURCH Whether it’s building a retaining wall, painting, or sorting donations, Ada Bible Church volunteers always come through for ICCF. “I like the staff and the other volunteers I work with,” said Ada Bible Hospitality Coordinator Mandy Stahl. “I also enjoy knowing who I am doing this for—ICCF residents and God.” Ada Bible has been sending volunteers to ICCF for many years. ICCF Volunteer Coordinator Sheryl Baas considers them her “go-to group” whenever she needs volunteers for a project. “I know if I call Mandy and tell her I need people, she finds them,” Sheryl said. “And it doesn’t matter if it’s for the next day or several weeks out, Ada Bible always has a volunteer excited to serve.”

Mandy says she hopes their work shows the families they serve that people care for them. She recalls one time she was serving at Family Haven and trying to engage with a little boy who was staying there with his family: “I was there to hang curtains, but felt more fulfilled talking with that little boy and seeing him come out of his shell,” she said. “I felt even more excited when I came back for another project the following week and he remembered me and ran over to speak with me. I want neighbors to see the love of Christ through us as we come and serve alongside them and spend time with them.” B > Interested in volunteering at ICCF? Contact Sheryl Baas at sbaas@iccf.org

LUNCH & LEARN Would you like to learn more about our vision for housing justice and how YOU can make an impact?

OCTOBER 21 Open to All

DECEMBER 2 Open to All

JANUARY 20, 2022 Open to All

FEBRUARY 24, 2022 Open to All

RSVP to: Marie Tiemersma Eakin at mtiemersmaeakin@iccf.org 4

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41 YEARS OF SERVICE Honoring Bassie Cummings, an ICCF team member who has been an advocate for housing justice for four decades.

When Bassie first began working for ICCF as a young man in 1980, he came with some painting experience and a willingness to learn. Now, more than four decades later, Bassie has worked on hundreds of homes in Grand Rapids and completed everything from installing kitchen cabinets to replacing the roof. Along the way he has impacted countless individuals with his hard work to create places for families to come home to.

“For a period of time, I would meet with the families [receiving housing through ICCF] and walk through the house with them,” said Bassie. “There was one house on Prospect that I remember. This little girl was 8 or 9 years old and she started crying, saying ‘This is my bedroom!’ I get goosebumps every time I think of that day.”

Before Bassie began work at ICCF, he had some challenges to overcome. Bassie was one of eight children, and his father left their family when Bassie was only 11 years old. At that point, Bassie recalls, he became the man of the house. His family had a modest 2-bedroom house on Sherman Street in Grand Rapids, where Bassie’s six sisters shared one room upstairs and he and his younger brother shared a pull-out couch. Young Bassie thought to himself, “One day I’m gonna build a house and make sure my kids have their own bedroom.”

Following a request from his mom, Bassie had his first painting experience as he added a new coat of paint to B L U E P R I N T S Fall 2021

the outside of their home. “After that,” said Bassie, “I kept painting and made a job of it.” He left home at 16 and had to fend for himself in a rough environment. He didn’t always make the best decisions as a young man, and looking back he credits God’s protection and provision for bringing him through. It was Bassie’s last day at a temporary job position in 1980 when he interviewed with former ICCF CEO Jonathan Bradford for a painting position.

“I was hired on the spot,” said Bassie, “And I’ve been there ever since. Now I’m working in the same neighborhood, with the same houses, where I grew up.” As a teenager, Bassie remembers that two of his friends lived in an apartment building close to downtown Grand Rapids. That building was sitting on the exact same property that would later become Family Haven, and which Bassie would help put a new roof on.

“I love putting things back together,” said Bassie. When working on a particularly rough and challenging house, he would imagine the family that someday would be living there and find motivation to keep at it.

Fifteen years after Bassie started working with ICCF, his mother’s health started to decline. One of her last acts was to donate his childhood home to ICCF in order to renovate and sell it to an income-qualified family. “She said, ‘Junior, I am so proud of you. Tell Jonathan Bradford to take our house and try to make it nice for another family’,” Bassie said. According to her wishes, the house was given to ICCF, renovated, and sold to a local family.

The entire team at ICCF is deeply grateful for Bassie’s 41 years of service. He demonstrates God’s love to our neighbors every day through his thoughtful planning, expert construction knowledge, and kindness of heart. B 5

HOUSING PIPELINE

TAPESTRY SQUARE SENIOR LIVING CONSTRUCTION BEGINS Work will begin on a new mixed-income independent senior living apartment building at 424 South Division. The 4-story facility will contain 56 apartments, 50 of which will be reserved as affordable homes. Also included in the building are a community room and a communal library/lounge.

Together, we are creating opportunities for safe, affordable housing for our neighbors. To support these projects and more like them, visit iccf.org/donate

CEDAR SPRINGS HOMES CONSTRUCTION WRAPS UP Three new single-family homes in Cedar Springs are nearing completion. These 3-bed, 2-bath residences were made possible in part by funding from Kent County and meet a critical need for more affordable housing in this neighborhood. > Any households who are interested in learning more about these homes and their eligibility requirements can contact ICCF at services@iccf.org.

SIGSBEE HOME CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES Construction of a new single-family home on Sigsbee Street is underway. BDR Custom Homes, one of West Michigan’s preeminent custom home builders, is donating their services to build this home on a vacant lot in the Baxter neighborhood. This energyefficient residence will be reserved as an affordable home for an income-qualifying family under ICCF’s land trust model. > Learn more at iccf.org/homes/CHLT

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UNION HOME RENOVATIONS IN PROGRESS This single-family residence is being renovated through the hard work of many faithful volunteers. Part of the Community Homes Initiative, this property needed a sizeable amount of restorative work to become ready for its next family. > Learn more at iccf.org/homes/CHLT

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2021 SUMMER SOIREE CONNECTING THE DOTS George Monsma, Calvin University Professor of Economics, Emeritus, together with his wife, Ellen, a former Professor of French at Calvin, has spent a lifetime “connecting the dots” between large economic forces and societal structures on the one hand, and on the other, those individuals and groups whose lives are diminished rather than enriched by these forces and structures.

Thank you to all the volunteers & donors who joined us at the Summer Soiree! This year’s event was held at Emerald Flats and featured food trucks, face painting, raffles, and live music from Walt Gutowski and the Bridge Street Band. We are so grateful for your support that makes our work possible.

Together, George and Ellen have lived out a faithful spirituality that links heart and hand, prayer and service, grace received and justice for all. Their lives have been characterized by advocacy and generous financial support, everyday hands-on service and caring one-on-one relationships, often working together with students and companions through their local church or non-profit faithbased organizations. Their concern for others even led them to Mali in West Africa, where Ellen's fluency in French and George's experience with several US non-profits led to a 3-year stint as French-speaking consultants for a local Christian economic development bureau.

For the past four decades, George and Ellen have supported ICCF’s efforts to provide housing opportunities and hope to families and individuals in ways that strive for economic justice amidst powerful economic, racial and societal dynamics. They have also extended that support into the future by including a bequest contribution to ICCF in their wills.

"We are thankful for the opportunity we have had for many years to help families obtain housing through our contributions to ICCF. By including ICCF in our wills we can continue to do this even after we pass on to our heavenly home."

George & Ellen Monsma If you too have felt God’s call to “connect the dots” through your support for ICCF, please consider extending the impact of your stewardship with a gift to ICCF in your will. Visit www.iccf.org/planned-gifts, or contact Hank Kroondyk at hkroondyk@iccf.org.

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EMERALD FLATS RIBBON CUTTING Bringing 50 units of workforce housing to the Highland Park neighborhood. August 19, 2021 OUR MISSION

Equitable Opportunity | Affordable Homes | Thriving Neighborhoods P: (616) 336-9333 | ICCF.org