Blueprints Winter 2024

ICCF Community Homes celebrates 50 years of impact in 2024.

Fall Winter 2022 2024

Celebrating 50 Years of Home

IN THIS ISSUE: A Message from our CEO Barbara’s Story: Finding a Perfect Fit The Impact of You Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow Housing Pipeline

ICCF COMMUNITY HOMES BOARD OF DIRECTORS Cameron Young, Chair Behler-Young

Eunice Lopez-Martin, Vice-Chair Steelcase

Tom Prince, Treasurer Hungerford Nichols

Brianne Pitchford, Secretary

Triangle Associates Inc.

Lee Hardy, Past Chair

Calvin University Emeritus

Jamecia Adams

Keller Williams Realty

Devetta Blakely Cherry Health

David Contant

BDR Custom Homes

Mary DeYoung

Gray Space Collaborative

Rhoda Kreuzer

Partners in Action, Inc.

Rick Treur

River City Improv

Janice Dorsey

Arkenya Incorporated/SOWN

Marjie Dood

BASIC Benefits LLC

William Jackson Corewell Health

Lexi M. Woods

Great Lakes Commercial Finance

SPECIAL GIFTS FROM 2023

Gifts in Honor Of AnnaMae Bush Cameron Eakin Kelsey McFarland Nate & Dawn Post Dakota Riehl Margie Styf Blanche VanderBent David VanderHaagen Emma VanZanten

Gifts in Memory Of

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

Dear friends, As ICCF Community Homes marks its 50th anniversary, we are filled with gratitude for God’s provision and the countless individuals who have contributed to our journey.

What began as a humble, volunteer-driven, single-home initiative has blossomed into a multifaceted organization impacting thousands of families annually. The generous gift of a single house to a church in 1974 continues to bless our community, reinforcing the enduring truth that it only takes one person to positively influence a family tree for generations.

Barbara, who you’ll meet in this issue, is a shining example of how planting a seed of change can have an impact that lasts for generations. Barbara purchased her home from ICCF in 1990 and has since dedicated thirty years to providing a haven for her sons. The collective efforts of donors, volunteers, craftspeople, legislators, educators, and social workers—those who champion ICCF’s mission—have played a pivotal role in shaping Barbara’s story. Today, she gives back to the community as a passionate advocate for affordable housing.

West Michigan is home to so many resilient individuals like Barbara, who strive daily for the best life for themselves and their families. The tangible resources offered by ICCF help bridge the gap between their dreams and achievable realities. We are thrilled to acknowledge and celebrate the tangible impact of ICCF’s mission evident in safe, stable, and affordable homes throughout West Michigan, with more promising developments on the horizon.

As we begin our fiftieth year, we reaffirm our commitment to ICCF Community Homes’s mission: equitable opportunity, affordable homes, and thriving neighborhoods.

Grace and peace,

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF HOME 2024 marks the 50th anniversary year of ICCF Community Homes! Since our founding in 1974, our methods have become more robust and sophisticated, but our mission remains unchanged: creating equitable opportunity, affordable homes, and thriving neighborhoods.

We’re humbled that so many people who were involved with ICCF in the early days are still a part of our mission. Our work is only possible through the contributions of many partners, including individuals, businesses, churches, public funding— and through God’s continued provision and protection. We look forward to sharing more stories of impact throughout 2024.

ICCF STAFF MILESTONES

15 Years Margarita Vera

5 Years Amy Cogswell Cecilia Kellogg Jerrod Roberts Marie Tiemersma Eakin

Ryan VerWys President and CEO rverwys@iccf.org

Frances Baker Henry & Marian Beltman Robert DeJonge Sidney Post 2

Blueprints • Winter 2024

The Impact of You: ICCF’s Earliest Volunteers Before ICCF Community Homes became officially incorporated, before there was one paid staff member, before there was even an office, there were volunteers.

The beginnings of what would become ICCF started when an elderly woman named Mary Van Houte donated her house to Eastern Ave. Christian Reformed Church in 1973. At the same time, the congregation’s Social Concerns Committee had begun discussing ways they could alleviate the urgent housing needs in their neighborhood.

Project Conserve at the Van Houte house

Van Houte house reception

Mayor Lyman Parks & Mary Van Houte

The following year, in 1974, eight people from the church put the two ideas together, pooled their money, and purchased the home from the church. Over the course of a year, working largely on weekends, they refurbished the house beautifully and sold it to a local family.

They dubbed this new venture “Project Conserve.”

Among those first Project Conserve members were Marlin Feyen, Vonnie Feyen, Ed & Ruth DeVries, Bob & Norma Van Koevering, Bill & Annette Byl, Frank & Sally Jonkman, John & Evelyn Hamstra, and Phil & Lynn Hamstra. The next year, more friends joined Project Conserve, including Gilbert & Hermie Besselsen, Don & Minnie Hunderman, and Pete & Mary Niewiek.

Annette Byl shared, “We credit God’s blessing for the growth of Project Conserve and later ICCF, and the impact they have had

ICCF Community Homes

Note from Annette Byl in 2007

in our community.” Ed DeVries added,“We looked at it more like an opportunity than a challenge.

We wanted to do something that would benefit the community.”

This small group of hardworking volunteers responded to the needs of their community in a tangible, back-breaking, and costly way.

Pouring out their own time, energy, and funds, they created a place where one, then two, and then a dozen, and now hundreds of families find safety and stability.

ICCF’s original volunteers identified a need, saw they could make a difference, and jumped in to help their neighbors. 50 years later, their work is still making a difference.

Do you have a story to tell about ICCF’s early days? We would love to hear from you! Submit stories and photos to legacy@iccf.org or using the enclosed envelope.

Volunteers take a coffee break

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Finding a Perfect Fit It’s been more than 30 years since Barbara first moved into her ICCF home. During the summer, people walking by on the street will stop to compliment it. “I’ve noticed your beautiful house for years,” one person said. “I’d love to have it when you’re done!” Barbara just smiled. She’s already made plans to pass the home to one of her sons, continuing to care for him long after she’s gone.

Before Barbara purchased it in 1990, the house was unrecognizable. A fire had caused severe damage, destroying so much of the interior that “you could look straight through it, like a barn,” she recalled. ICCF Community Homes was in the process of painstakingly renovating the structure to provide an affordable homeownership

Barbara’s family in 1990

opportunity for a local family.

While mowing lawns in that neighborhood, Barbara’s eldest son saw the ICCF sign out front and told his mom about the opportunity. She decided to inquire.

At the time, Barbara was a single mom to three boys, two of whom used wheelchairs. In their two-bedroom apartment, her sons shared the private rooms while she slept on the living room couch. Each time the rent increased, she scoured the area for a more affordable apartment where they could continue to stay together.

Through ICCF, Barbara began to prepare for homeownership. She balanced her roles as mother, primary caregiver, and employee of Grand Rapids Public Schools while taking classes on budgeting, saving money, home repair, and even gardening.

She worked hard to prepare for the cost and opportunity of owning a home. When it was finally move-in ready, the house proved to be a wonderful environment for her family. Her sons played with the kids next door and often enjoyed a game of basketball in the driveway. She got to know her neighbors and became a trusted member of that community.

“The house has been a stabilizing force,” said Barbara. “I haven’t had to live in a sub-standard apartment, always looking around and trying to find somewhere better, switching the kids’ schools… everything’s remained the same.” Ten years ago, the family endured a tragic loss when Barbara’s son, Noah, passed away. She opened her home again for her youngest son, who uses a wheelchair, to return home.

Barbara’s family in 2005

“Back when I needed a place, there was nothing barrier-free, or if you found something, it was only a small one-bedroom,” says Barbara.

“There was certainly nothing for a family with two people who needed a barrier-free place.” Incredibly, the home that ICCF was remodeling turned out to be just what they needed. Not only was it soon to be ready for purchase, but it had been designed with accessible amenities like a barrier-free bedroom and a zero-step shower.

The ICCF home was a perfect fit for Barbara’s budget and her family.

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Blueprints • Winter 2024

For Barbara, it’s the memories from decades of life spent here that make her house feel like home. Today, Barbara lives in her ICCF house with her husband, Guillermo, and son, Isaiah. Many of the updates inside the home were completed by her oldest son, Matt. Barbara’s involved in fair and equitable housing through Together West Michigan, attends city commission

meetings, and refers neighbors to ICCF. She also provides care for her son, including cooking meals that they share and providing transportation to appointments.

When Barbara does find time to rest at home, she often chooses to sit in the large-windowed living room.

It’s her favorite, “especially in the wintertime when the sun comes through in the afternoon,” she said.

“I’ve got all my plants in there. It’s just so nice.” Whatever comes next for Barbara’s family, they know that her home is a safe, stable place to be. The peaceful living room in the midst of a busy life paints a picture of the stability and security that Barbara has worked so hard to provide for her sons for over three decades.

Yesterday... Today... Tomorrow.

For many years after it appeared in the Grand Rapids Press in 1994, I kept this Family Circus cartoon pinned on the tack board above my desk.

As a fund-raiser seeking to encourage financial support by sharing a critical need in a compelling way, I needed Lucy’s encouragement to begin and end every day in gratitude, grateful for each opportunity to share the story, each pledge of support, each contribution. After all, today itself is a GIFT! However, to fully experience today as GIFT also entails looking forward to the future with hope. And that’s the challenge for individuals and families facing housing insecurity, living in the crucible of too few resources to cover too many expenses, the dilemma of a housing market gone awry—hope fades to despair. Blinded by insecurity about tomorrow, they cannot see the GIFT that is today.

“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a GIFT. That’s why it’s called the present.”

Family Circus © 1994 Bil Keane, Distributed by

King Features Syndicate, Inc. Replacing this insecurity and despair with hope is what ICCF Community Homes seeks to accomplish in working for equitable opportunity and affordable homes for vulnerable households and neighborhoods, not just for today, but for the decades to come.

Yesterday…Today…Tomorrow… Your faithful giving to ICCF Community Homes is an investment in a hope-filled future for our neighbors. Thank you!

Hank Kroondyk, ICCF Planned Giving Specialist For more information, please visit iccf.org/planned-gifts or contact Hank at hkroondyk@iccf.org ICCF Community Homes

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Housing Pipeline: Highlights from ICCF’s Early Days, 1974–1992

Beginning with a house donated to a church, a small group of volunteers work to renovate single-family homes and sell them to local families.

1974

When a federal mortgage subsidy program is eliminated, the resourceful team pivots to providing home repairs for a season.

1977

After incorporating and hiring a couple of employees, the organization continues renovating an increasing number of homes.

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1982

1985

A new lease/purchase program is launched, creating another path to homeownership. The organization invests in homeownership counseling for neighbors. A $1 million loan from MSHDA is utilized to renovate 50 homes over the next 9 years for lease/ purchase, and repaid in full.

Blueprints • Winter 2024

Undertaking their first new construction, the organization builds Pleasant Prospect Homes. The scattered-site rental development includes 15 affordable duplexes, beautifully designed to blend in with the existing neighborhood.

ICCF purchases, renovates, and occupies a former City of Grand Rapids fire station at 816 Madison SE.

1986

Carmody Apartments

1990

1992

Recognizing an opportunity to care for families experiencing homelessness, Family Haven is constructed. The first multifamily apartment building, Carmody Apartments, is purchased & renovated to provide affordable rental opportunities.

Family Haven

ICCF Community Homes

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

415 Martin Luther King Jr. St. SE, Suite 100 Grand Rapids, MI 49507

Follow along with our 50th anniversary stories & events at iccf.org/legacy

Our Mission

Equitable Opportunity. Affordable Homes. Thriving Neighborhoods.

P: (616) 336-9333 | ICCF.org