A little more than 25% of housing units in Detroit are vacant—a staggering 92,000 units. For longtime Detroiters bearing witness to this in real time, a number of this magnitude carries complex weight. Few would fault residents for feeling compounded emotions after years of population decline, overtaxation, and foreclosure followed by land bank auctions, property […]
Posted inThe Dig
Development of beloved downtown Dearborn comes with complicated feelings
The line at Qahwa House is long on a (worryingly) warm Friday night in December—but that’s normal basically any night of the week, even amid a COVID-19 surge. The coffeehouse in West Dearborn was thrumming with life, dozens of people laughing over plates of sabayah and kids sneaking sips of lattes. There is an unmistakable […]
Posted inThe Dig
How to buy a house in cash
Paying cash for a house might, for some, conjure up images of bidding wars and deep-pocketed investors who can easily dip into fat bank accounts. But in Detroit, a majority of homes are bought in cash. Even people who could really use a loan or a mortgage are instead forced into riskier cash transactions. We’ve […]
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A look back at The Dig’s top 2021 stories
It’s been a big year for The Dig—and the newsletter is barely over a year old. In 2021, Outlier Media became our publisher (which earned a mention in a New York Times article this year). I’ll be forever grateful to Detour Detroit, which launched The Dig last year. The newsletter’s move to Outlier has provided […]
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Wayne lags behind all Michigan counties processing emergency rent help requests
Mary Hamilton stands outside her cousin’s home in northwest Detroit. She’s been staying there since she was evicted in November. Photo credit: Aaron Mondry Near the beginning of the pandemic, Mary Hamilton was laid off from her job as a nurse assistant. Health complications related to kidney disease made it hard to find work and […]
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Michigan poised to slash some industrial electric rates by up to 60%, even as residential bills jump
Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash As Michigan’s residential electric rates have increased even since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the state appears poised to approve plans that could slash costs for large industrial manufacturers by as much as 60%. A new program proposed to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) by Consumers Energy […]
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The Dig’s gift guide has Detroit all over it
The best gifts come from the heart—even better if they’re from Detroit. Photo credit: iStock.com/Vadym Petrochenko Searching for gift ideas for a special person? Well, if they love Detroit, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together this list with a variety of options for people with all kinds of interests and needs. Whether […]
Posted inThe Dig
As wait times grow, DDOT leaves it to others to build bus shelters
Mack Avenue is punctuated with shelter-less bus stops. The lack of shelters is urgent for the city’s approximately 750,000 monthly riders, many of whom rely on the bus. Photo credit: Nick Hagen Jonathan Peters rides the bus nearly every day, commuting from his home in Detroit’s Warrendale neighborhood near the Dearborn border to his job […]
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Why housing scams in Detroit frequently go unpunished
When Janell Poydras’ girlfriend, Erica Phillips, had a real estate agent friend look up the deed to the home they had been living in, they learned the property was not registered to the man they had been paying rent to for the home on Detroit’s eastside. “I’m still angry about it,” Poydras, 27, said. “It […]
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The ‘fake landlord’ scam destroys lives in Detroit. But culprits rarely face consequences.
June Walker sits outside her home. This article was published in partnership with NBC News DETROIT — The day she made the final payment on her house last spring, June Walker could barely contain her jubilation. “I was running around the house, just thanking God,” said Walker, 65, who had scrimped and saved for more […]
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Detroit home repair program proves helpful—for the few who qualify
Ayanas and Mario Woodard of Detroit were approved for a $20,000 loan through the 0% Interest Home Repair Loan. In addition to the roof replacement, they also got their driveway repaved, a new furnace, central air and new windows. Their monthly bill for the loan is $208. “I really don’t know what we would have […]
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7 low-cost ways to winterize your Detroit home
With most Detroit homes being built before 1950, they are likely to have energy deficiencies through air leaks and old heating systems. But gaps around doors, windows and other places where air can enter from the outside sometimes come with inexpensive remedies. As the temperature drops outdoors, many Detroiters have undoubtedly been looking at their […]
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COVID funding to get Michigan’s homeless into rental housing has reached fewer than 100 families. What’s the problem?
Multiple people who currently don’t have a permanent home and have used Outlier’s text messaging information service have called local agencies and been turned down for assistance. Others were told there was no help available. COVID-19 rental relief dollars can be spent to help people who have become homeless or stayed unhoused because of the […]
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Settlement reached in lawsuit against Detroit property owner Michael Kelly
“I feel so grateful,” said Alita Crowley, 59, of Detroit, thinking back to her last interaction with Detroit Property Exchange owner Michael Kelly. “I told him ‘You had a good thing, but you turned it into a nightmare because of greed.’” Photo credit: Allie Gross In the spring of 2020, Alita Crowley fell behind on […]
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New coffee table-style book reveals Detroit’s inequities—in maps
The book is subdivided into four sections with benign sounding titles that you might find in an introductory tour of Detroit—“Situating the City,” “Getting to Know the City,” “Communities and Neighborhoods” and “Places in the City.” Photo credit: Belt Magazine Maps do a lot more than just help us navigate physical space. They also help […]
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Are Michigan’s investor-owned utilities driving away auto jobs and investment?
Instead of creating around 11,000 new jobs and investing $11 billion in its backyard, Michigan-based Ford Motor Co. went south, deciding in September to invest in two new electric vehicle battery plants in Tennessee and Kentucky. Ford CEO Jim Farley repeatedly cited lower energy rates as part of the motivation but never explained why those […]
Posted inThe Dig
Is housing an environmental justice issue? In Detroit, yes.
Outlier Media’s The Dig has published this story in partnership with Planet Detroit. Nora Rodriguez lives in Southwest Detroit, where she is caring for her mother. Rodriguez has never seriously considered leaving the area despite her own health issues. She is a community organizer and outreach worker with two local nonprofits. Photo by NICK HAGEN […]
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Yearslong struggle with community land trust ends in homeownership for Detroiter
Geraldine Smith-Bey, 58, lost her house in 2015 to foreclosure. It ended up on the auction block after she fell behind on her taxes. Photo by Aaron Mondry After six years, a housing dispute between a nonprofit and one of their tenants and vocal critics has finally come to a conclusion. “I’m happy because I […]
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No clear path forward to compensate overtaxed homeowners in Detroit
Before COVID-19, one of the most talked about issues was news that the City of Detroit collectively overtaxed homeowners by at least $600 million between 2010 and 2016. And, at least 53% of the assessments were in violation of Michigan’s Constitution. The sense of urgency about redressing the overtaxed has faded, but many policymakers, activists […]
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Bay Area developer looks to address mass incarceration with Detroit buildings
This August 2021 rendering from Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, a California-based architecture firm, shows the site plan for the development project at Grand River Avenue and 14th Street in Detroit’s Core City neighborhood. Update: An earlier version of this story indicated that the Love Building is formerly known by that name. The building name […]
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Russell Industrial Center raising rent, skimping on repairs, tenants say
Dennis Kefallinos has owned the Russell Industrial Center since 2003. Many tenants describe being on month-to-month leases, which makes rent increases and evictions easier for landlords. Since the start of 2020, Kefallinos has filed 43 evictions against tenants at the Russell, according to records at the 36th District Court. Photo by Zaire Daniels In recent […]
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Property values are rising. But these longtime Detroiters say they are missing out because of the Land Bank.
The city told residents of East Davison Village that they’d get access to the neighborhood’s vacant property. Instead, most of those homes have gone to newcomers.
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HIRING: Outlier Media seeks an Operations and Development Manager in Detroit
We’re hiring an Operations Manager to work with our small, but powerful team as we expand to serve more Detroiters and reimagine local news as an essential service. Our newsroom will grow over the next several years and we need a skilled and thoughtful business manager who can help us manage today and plan for the future.
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Outlier to expand city hall coverage in Detroit thanks to Report for America grant
Report for America announced today that Outlier Media is one of almost 70 new host newsroom partners for 2022, helping grow a program that will now include 325 journalists in 270 newsrooms across the nation. Through this partnership, Outlier will expand its coverage of Detroit city government. Journalists interested in this position can apply here by […]
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Could this property-tax tweak stop speculation, spur development?
In 2012, John Hantz bought more than 1,500 vacant and blighted parcels from the City of Detroit for $520,000. He objects to the label “speculator” saying that he maintains his lots, including a tree farm on the city’s east side. Photo credit: Aaron Mondry At the I-94 service drive near Gratiot Avenue in Detroit sits […]
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Pause to Reflect: A violin performance with Pretty Stringz
In the spirit of gratitude, Outlier Media invites you to join us for a lunchtime concert performance with violinist Pretty Stringz. Join us for twenty-five minutes of virtual music from wherever you are in the world. We offer you this communal space to reflect, find a space for gratitude, and breathe! It’s a gift to […]