ICCF Community Homes - Blueprints, Winter 2021

415 FRANKLIN: ICCF'S NEW HOME IN 2021 In This Issue A Message from Our CEO Impact of You 415 Franklin God Works Through Teamwork Housing Pipeline

Blueprints WINTER 2021

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 of North America Jason Kuiper Inontime, Inc. Eunice Lopez-Martin Choice One Bank Tom Paarlberg Greenridge Realty Tom Prince Hungerford Nichols Johana Rodriguez Quist Literacy Center of West Michigan Lexi M. Woods Warner, Norcross, & Judd Cameron Young Behler-Young

Dear ICCF friends and partners, Here at the end of a hard year and the start of a new one, many of us are eager to focus on what the next twelve months have in store. However, I hope you’ll allow me to briefly reflect on a few lessons from 2020.

In mid-November I got a positive COVID-19 test. I thank God that my illness was short-lived, while acknowledging that this has not been the case for so many of our loved ones and neighbors. I was blessed to only experience mild symptoms, and to be able to recover at home. This meant spending practically every moment confined to a single room to keep my family safe from infection. Eating, sleeping, and working in isolation gave me an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be close but not connected. I could talk to my wife and kids on the phone and computer, and occasionally passed a plate back and forth through the door, but there were almost no moments I would describe as deep, personal connection.

In the solitude of quarantine, one place I was able to direct some of my attention was the book that a friend had dropped off, Brave New Home by Diana Lind. She writes about the dominance of the single family home in the U.S., and how it has led to generations of lonely and expensive living. But there are new ways of creating home that seek to remedy this, including cooperatives, co-living communities, intergenerational homes, and more.

In the affordable housing field, it’s important to remember that we as community members need not just housing, but each other. At ICCF, we do build and renovate single family homes, but we also are exploring new and old ways of living, including our community connectors who work to bring together our apartment residents, and the Community Homes Land Trust that provides a path to homeownership while still giving support and community.

Our next major development is the opening of 415 Franklin this spring. This building will contain ICCF’s new headquarters along with the Madison Church: Franklin Campus and a child development center. It will also have 41 affordable apartments, marking the first time that ICCF will share a building with our residents. For years to come, we will pass through the same doors, park next to each other, and exchange greetings in the hallways. In this new year, I look forward with faith to a world beyond the virus.

A world where we as a community will live and work in a shared space, sharing life.

Grace and Peace,

GO GREEN & STAY UP TO DATE WITH ICCF Sign up for the e-version of Blueprints today!

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

2

Ryan VerWys President and CEO rverwys@iccf.org

B L U E P R I N T S Winter 2021

IMPACT OF YOU

THANK YOU Gifts given in honor of those who have impacted our lives.

Gifts in Memory:

RETIREES GETTING BACK TO WORK FOR GOOD When Pastor Steve Elenbaas from First Byron Christian Reformed Church stopped by the ICCF booth at a community event a couple of years ago, it was the start of something great. “I explained that we had a good group of retirees that have construction capabilities that are being used in our community,” said Steve. “ICCF asked if we would be willing to remodel one of their houses, and I said yes.”

First Byron is now rehabbing their third house for ICCF, working diligently and socially distanced through the pandemic. “We volunteer because we are blessed by the Lord in so many ways and want to give back to the community wherever possible,” said Steve. “We have many skilled retired construction workers that have the time and desire to help those in need in a small way through their work.”

To ICCF Volunteer Coordinator Sheryl Baas, the work First Byron CRC is doing is anything but small. “Our volunteers play a vital role at ICCF and they have a huge impact on the work we do,” she says. “We are so grateful to First Byron CRC for their hard work and dedication to making a house a home.” B > Interested in volunteering at ICCF? Contact Sheryl Baas at sbaas@iccf.org

Andrew Bandstra Harold and Norene Botts Verna and Howard DeHaan Gerrit Egedy Martheen Griffioen Marnie Kotwick Dylan LaForge Margaret Louters Lorraine V. Pylman Peter Vander Bent John C. Vander Stelt Barbara VanderVeen John Verwolf

Gifts in Honor: Veronica Arvizu The Mark and Laura Banbury family Jonathan Bradford AnnaMae Bush William and Annette Byl Dave and Barb Huyser George and Lucie Marsden John and Cyndy Perry Dakota Riehl Susan Yocum

CELEBRATING STAFF MILESTONES Bassie Cummings – 40 years Danny Hornbugor – 5 years Ryan VerWys – 5 years

LUNCH & LEARN Would you like to learn more about our vision for housing justice and how YOU can make an impact? > RSVP to Marie Tiemersma Eakin at mtiemersmaeakin@iccf.org

FEBRUARY 18 Open to All

B L U E P R I N T S Winter 2021

MARCH 18

Builders & Contractors

APRIL 22 Open to All

3

415 FRANKLIN: A HOME FOR COMMUNITY At ICCF’s new office space, multiple resources will be combined into one building, located in the heart of the community where many of our neighbors reside.

The old Grand Rapids Christian High School sat vacant on the southeast side of town for many years. But just a few blocks away, a collaborative vision was starting to bloom.

Community leaders looked at the sprawling, deteriorating brick building and saw a space that could serve as an oasis of resources to empower nearby neighbors.

415 Franklin is within one mile of 61% of ICCF-owned homes and apartments, including our Family Haven emergency shelter and many Community Homes Initiative houses. The 49507 zip code is home to the largest proportion of neighbors we serve. Although the building on Cherry Street has served our team well, the time was ripe to invest in another area, restore a new building, and continue the work of transformation in a new space.

RENOVATIONS

Since July 2019, Rockford Construction has poured over 81,000 hours into painstaking demolition, restoration, and new construction. The result is a gorgeous historical renovation which preserves the original 75,805 total gross square feet beauty of the building while On track to receive Enterprise Green adding modern amenities.

Communities Certification The original open-air courtyard 4 ADA-compliant units was converted into an enclosed gathering area with a glass roof.

On-site housing management and maintenance As part of the renovation, the entire courtyard was raised up 30 inches in order to make it zero-step accessible from all of the other areas of the first floor.

Lighting in the building includes ICCF offices refurbished milk glass fixtures that 40 affordable apartments were uncovered in the attic space.

Exterior windows were opened Madison Church: Franklin Campus back up to their original size. Some Early childhood learning center with space of the artwork from SiTE:LAB, for about 70 children which was formerly housed in the Community space for resident activities building, remains behind the walls, creating a time capsule of art for future generations to find.

AT A GLANCE

Through a generous gift from the DeVries family, the empty 415 Franklin building became the property of Madison Church in 2015. The Madison team was excited to relocate one of their three church campuses to this new space in order to serve the neighborhood better. But they saw the potential for more. They began a conversation with ICCF: how can this building become an asset to the community?

As they began to dream about what could be, three core needs rose to the surface: affordable housing, community space, quality childcare. This building, they believed, could be a significant asset in all of these areas.

4

HOME TO:

B L U E P R I N T S Winter 2021

415 Franklin’s ground floor will be a hub of activity seven days a week. It will provide space for worship, fellowship and educational activities for Madison Church: Franklin Campus, as well as ICCF offices, work areas, and conference rooms. It will also include an early childhood education suite together with a multi-use common area and a commercial kitchen.

A PLACE TO CALL HOME On the second and third floors of the building, across approximately 40,000 square feet of floor space, ICCF will build 40 units of affordable housing that will serve households at or below 80% of area median income. One additional market-rate unit will house an ICCF staff member who will focus on resident programming and mentorship.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, it is vital to ensure that our neighbors have access to safe, affordable housing. With the continued pressure of the pandemic leading to job loss or reduction, health complications, and isolation, the gift of a stable place to call home is a huge asset to a family.

A PLACE FOR WORSHIP From its founding over 100 years ago, Madison Church has evolved to meet the needs of its changing community and expanded to three campuses. Their Ford congregation will become the Franklin congregation after moving into this new worship space.

“The story is one of collaboration,” said Joanna DeMoorTannor, All Site Executive Director at Madison Church. “It’s about shared spaces, shared services, and ways we can come around each other. When you have collaboration between organizations that are similar missionally but different in services they provide, then you end up with more holistic care for people.” Madison Church envisions 415 Franklin as a place of mutual community and support.

B L U E P R I N T S Winter 2021

“It’s an invitation for partnerships, to community, people living and working together,” said DeMoor-Tannor. “From a church perspective, that’s part of our call as a community of faith — providing spaces for people to come together.

This is a place where people come together, and God meets us here, too.”

A PLACE FOR FAMILIES “From a helicopter view of Grand Rapids, the area around 415 Franklin doesn’t appear to have anything wrong. But in reality, walking around at street-level, you see a lot of poverty,” said Dr. Nkechy Ezeh, Founder and CEO of the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative. The ELNC’s mission is to serve the most vulnerable children, who often come from under-resourced families and whose parents’ education was disrupted.

“We are using early childhood education to change our community, one neighborhood at a time,” said Dr. Ezeh. She hopes that future affordable housing initiatives will take early childhood education into consideration, understanding how vital it is to ensure that families can thrive. To provide a quality, stable environment for a child’s development is to empower both students and parents.

415 Franklin is a catalyst for truly equitable community transformation: housing, resident services, and a place for worship under one roof. It’s a mixed-use building that is vibrant, active, and engaging at all hours of the day; a walkable, beautiful, safe place that evokes a sense of community pride and investment.

As 415 Franklin nears completion, we look forward to many years of service and collaboration in this space. This daring project has truly been the fruit of God’s provision, many years of planning, faithful stewardship, and new partnerships. Thank you for supporting this endeavor along the way. B 5

THIS IS HOW GOD WORKS: THROUGH TEAMWORK The donation of the building at 415 Franklin was a gift many years in the making.

Ed DeVries learned the value of teamwork in the early 1960s playing point guard on the Grand Rapids Christian High School basketball team.

Now, looking back on his life and business career, Ed says, “Life itself is a team game. You have to have the right people on your team, because it’s the team that wins the game.”

Mike, Ed, and Bob DeVries stand on the steps of 415 Franklin in 2010. Photo courtesy of the Grand Rapids Magazine.

Ed also had an early introduction to the construction business since his father was a builder. After college and an MBA in urban renewal, he began his own business by renovating a few Heritage Hill homes. Then, partnering with his brother, Bob, they built a family business focused on the “adaptive reuse” of older commercial buildings – its motto: Restoring the Past, Building the Future.

Ed’s connection to ICCF’s mission began in the early 1970’s when he and his wife Ruth joined with several other young families at Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed Church in a volunteer effort to renovate two nearby houses for resale to low-income families. That volunteer effort grew to become Inner City Christian Federation!

In 2010, Ed and Bob acquired the vacant building that had once been Grand Rapids Christian High in a complex three-way deal with the city of Grand Rapids and Kent County. Ed’s son, Mike, handled the legal details at that time and today heads up the family business.

When they acquired the building that had once been their high school, Ed and Bob’s goal was to “do something in the neighborhood which will make a difference in people’s lives, like that building did for us by providing us a Christian education.”

Not long after the acquisition, they were approached

by Madison Church: Ford Campus and began a series of conversations about the building. As a result of those conversations, in February, 2015, Ed and Bob donated the building to the church because they believed their contribution could be a “catapult for God’s service in the neighborhood.”

Learning later that Madison Church would partner with ICCF was the “culmination of our prayers for the building.

Using this building in these ways to serve the community spiritually, physically and educationally exceeds what we were hoping for.”

6

While the DeVries family’s role in restoring the Grand Rapids Christian High School building was unique and critical, Ed is quick to give all the credit to the team – to Madison Church for its vision and trust in God, as well as to ICCF and the other partners on the project. “This is how God works – through teamwork. We were blessed to be one part of a wonderful team, and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

Maybe you own a unique asset, a rental duplex for example, you’d consider donating or perhaps selling at a discounted price to ICCF. For more information about gifts of real estate or other assets, visit iccf.org/planned-gifts/non-cash-assets, or contact ICCF's Planned Giving Specialist, Hank Kroondyk, at 616.336.9333 ext. 403 or hkroondyk@iccf.org.

B L U E P R I N T S Winter 2021

HOUSING PIPELINE

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

EMERALD FLATS

CEDAR SPRINGS HOMES

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES

This historic building is undergoing renovations to house 50 apartment units, a full gymnasium, and a social service office.

Emerald Flats will uniquely serve families with low to moderate incomes, including households who earn 40 – 120% of the Area Median Income.

Three newly constructed single-family homes, which were funded by Kent County, will be sold to income-qualifying households once completed in the winter of 2021. All three homes will include three bedrooms and have two bathrooms, and are being constructed to complement the surrounding architecture styles. > Any households who are interested in learning more about these homes and their eligibility requirements can contact ICCF at services@iccf.org.

COMMUNITY HOMES LAND TRUST MORE HOMES BECOME AVAILABLE ICCF sold four recently renovated homes through our new Community Homes Land Trust to first time homebuyers in 2020. The program helps income-qualified households, who otherwise could not afford a quality home on the open market, become first-time homebuyers. > Learn more at iccf.org/homes/CHLT

B L U E P R I N T S Winter 2021

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 gym, community room, clinical space, and a communal library/lounge.

7

920 Cherry Street SE Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506

415 FRANKLIN COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS Pictured: Renovation kickoff, October 2019 OUR MISSION

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

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID GRAND RAPIDS, MI PERMIT #313