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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Outlier Media expands its business operations with two new hires
Outlier Media is proud to announce its first two hires focused on revenue and operations strategy. These positions were made possible thanks to an investment in Outlier made earlier this year by the American Journalism Project.
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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 […]