The third project I was a part of during my Challenge Detroit Fellowship was as a part of the "Neighborhood Association" team (alongside Addison Mauck, Sarah Gargaro, JeNeice Freeman-Holt, and Meghan Strickland). We were tasked with answering a question of organization: when there are low-income residents, mostly renters, in an area of the city adjacent to high-income neighborhoods, and bordered on one side by a major commercial district (all factors which threaten the low-income renters), how can we protect longtime residents from displacement as an area redevelops and risks unfettered gentrification?

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We were tasked with a question that would be difficult for any combination of policy, community-building, commercial development, or grant-giving to solve. We spoke to local developers, community members, business owners and long-time residents. With this background, we set out to create a "Resident's Association Guide," a sort of step by step combination of funding strategies for the association, place-making strategies for the neighborhood, and employment statistic goals for projects in and around the neighborhood to keep residents informed and, when possible, employ them first.