Stories

Feature Story Alberto Ruiz, owner of El Amanecer in Ecorse

From aspiring to own a restaurant to dishing out tostones: Program brings small businesses to lifeResilient Neighborhoods Feature

A Puerto Rican entrepreneur opens his restaurant with a noble dream, much perseverance, and plenty of guidance from a Detroit program aimed at people who want to start their own businesses.

Feature Story Former President and CEO Christi Coady Narayanan speaks at one of Opp Fund's anniversary events. Courtesy photo.

OppFund looks back on impact with 40th anniversary; new leadership looks to continue legacy

For more than 35 years, Christi Coady Narayanan led the transformative work of the Opportunity Resource Fund (OppFund), as the President and CEO of the nonprofit community development financial institution. She retired last month, passing the torch to the new President and CEO Byna Elliott, to continue the organization’s unwavering commitment and innovation in empowering individuals, businesses, and communities all over the state.

Longform Rx Kids has provided for the Wright family stability during an unpredictable time.

More than a stipend: Rx Kids is transforming childhood beginnings

Rx Kids, the country’s first universal and unconditional cash prescription program for pregnant people and infants, provides financial support to every eligible family within a geographic area, no income requirements, no strings attached. Families receive a one-time $1,500 payment during pregnancy and $500 per month during the baby’s first year of life.  

Feature Story Kevin Fischer3

Medicaid cuts threaten Michigan’s mental health

Federal Medicaid cuts threaten the very lives of those living with serious mental illness, disabilities, and substance use disorders as well as the quality of life and livelihoods of those managing their mental health care with medications and support that Medicaid currently covers.  

Feature Story A prescribed burn at Kensington Metropark.

Where there's smoke, there may be environmental renewal: How parks use fire to support nature

A burning field, forest, or prairie in your local park may be an alarming sight, but sometimes it's actually a sign of an intentional, controlled process with significant benefits for the environment. 

Feature Story Restorative justice advocates Lauren Fardig-Diop (left) and Angel McKissic

Beyond punitive justice: Restoring harm in DetroitResilient Neighborhoods Feature

Locking up offenders doesn't repair the broken relationships underlying most crime. Metro Detroit Restorative Justice Network says we can do better – and create a safer community in the process.

Longform Supplemental Science student Madison Taylor with her exhibit on soil samples at a science fair at WAY Academy in Detroit.

Metroparks offer year-round hands-on science classes in 2 Detroit schools

Through the Supplemental Science program, Huron-Clinton Metroparks staff work with school staff to offer science lessons in schools, usually multiple times a week throughout the school year. 

Feature Story Consumer's Energy Four Cities Metro Pipeline project will occur from 2026 to 2029.

Natural gas pipeline project to update aging system in four Metro-Detroit cities

Consumers Energy will invest $182 million to replace eight miles of outdated natural gas pipeline in four Metro Detroit cities from 2026 to 2029. The company claims this project will improve the safety and reliability of its natural gas system, but environmental advocacy groups argue that money and resources could be better invested in renewable, cleaner energy sources.

Feature Story The chapel of St. Mary's Academy

Vacant for 20 years, historic Monroe building will be repurposed for community goodNonprofit Journal Project Feature

In Monroe, the former St. Mary’s Academy building left an empty space in the city’s downtown when it closed in 2003. Demolition was on the table until a developer with a personal connection to the building stepped up to save it.

Feature Story Melany Sanchez first participated in Leaders in Training during her freshman year of college

Preparing Southwest Detroit youth for power and purposeResilient Neighborhoods

Urban Neighborhood Initiatives’ Leaders in Training program equips Southwest Detroit youth with career skills, mentorship, and leadership opportunities rooted in community development.

Longform Shelley Roossien, Accessibility and Inclusion Specialist at KDL, leads children through a building exercise.

Inclusive Literacy Alliance fosters early reading in Kent County kids with developmental differences

The Inclusive Literacy Alliance is a collaborative, county-wide effort to improve early reading outcomes for children with developmental differences. Parents, educators, service providers, and advocates are piloting solutions that make early literacy more accessible and effective for children who are blind or low vision, deaf or hard of hearing, or autistic.

Longform Cross-sector collaborations have become a vital part of Michigan’s evolving approach to mental health care.

Community mental health partnerships with first responders a win-win for communities

Across Michigan, community mental health (CMH) agencies are redefining crisis response through deep partnerships with EMS, law enforcement, and fire departments. These cross-sector collaborations have become a vital part of Michigan’s evolving approach to mental health care.  

Feature Story Albert Kahn Building

HISTORY LESSON: Telling Detroit's immigrant story through its architecture

Today, as immigrants are being vilified, scapegoated and pulled off the streets by masked agents, it’s important for us to remember that the Detroit that so many are nostalgic for was designed and built by immigrants.

Longform sunglasses

Cincinnati’s school dental clinics bring relief to thousands

Serving 24,000 patients annually, the Cincinnati Health Department dental program brings year-round care to students and community patients through an innovative public-private partnership.

Feature Story Forgotten Harvest CEO Adrian Lewis

USDA cuts could worsen food insecurity, reverse progress to improve nutrition for most vulnerableResilient Neighborhoods

USDA programs, which once helped Southeast Michigan emergency food providers source food, are being slashed. With over a billion dollars cut nationwide, experts warn of long-term consequences for food access, nutrition and local economies.  

Feature Story Huge CNC Machines at Tarus's factory in Sterling Heights.

TARUS turns 40 with bold moves and innovation in manufacturing and software

As TARUS celebrates 40 years in Sterling Heights, the Michigan-based manufacturer is forging a bold new path—combining precision tooling for critical industries with the launch of its custom-built software platform, VERAX ERP, to help manufacturers thrive.

Feature Story Caitlin Crutcher (white shirt) plays foosball with youth before programming at Eastside Community Network

Detroit nonprofits unite to foster next gen community development leadersResilient Neighborhoods Feature

A cross-city collaboration focusing on youth development has more young people exploring how they can impact their communities now and find meaningful careers down the road. The project has taken off, and the potential for more growth is likely.

Feature Story Maggie DeSantis

Maggie DeSantis shares how community development organizations formed a leadership pipelineResilient Neighborhoods Q&A

Years ago, in Detroit, “community development was more like shoelaces, string, and Scotch Tape,” says Maggie DeSantis. But through collaboration, professionals in the field have developed a talent pipeline and garnered more respect for the field. Read Sarah Williams’ Q&A with DeSantis to learn about the evolution of the work.

Feature Story Tim Klont is the CEO of MSHDA.

Regional Housing Partnerships do the critical work locally to move needle on Statewide Housing Plan

Michigan’s first-ever Statewide Housing Plan was released in June 2022, almost three years ago. A little over the halfway point of the comprehensive five-year plan, stakeholders and collaborative partners look at just how critical regional housing partnerships are in their own communities — moving the needle forward across the entire state. 

Feature Story "Teenagers matter. They’re a part of our communities, our families, our friendships. Their feelings and their struggles matter." Eve Cole

Teens and mental health: The emotions beneath the behaviors

Today’s teens face numerous challenges to their mental health, and nearly one in five teens surveyed reported experiencing a major depressive episode in the past year. In 2023, nearly a third of U.S. teens received mental health treatment, according to the CDC report. In Michigan, some of those teens saw practitioners and joined groups at OnPoint, which provides behavioral health and homelessness services in Allegan County.