In 2017, Community Housing Capital (CHC) sponsored an FHLB Atlanta AHP application on behalf of Southwest Housing Solutions (SWHS) for the Mack Ashland II project in Detroit, MI. FHLB awarded SWHS $250,000, and as part of that award, CHC agreed to provide permanent financing for the 29 townhomes and improvements.
Mack Ashland II serves a vital need for the Detroit area. According to the 2017 State of Homelessness Annual Report for the Detroit Continuum of Care, there are 13,175 homeless persons in the City of Detroit and 1,286 are Veterans. The Mack Ashland II project has set aside eight homes for the homeless and persons with special needs earning 30% of area median income (AMI) or less and, 20 homes are set aside for families earning 60% AMI or less. Six homes are reserved for Veterans.
SWHS purchased the land for this development from the City of Detroit Land Bank. Existing homes on the site were demolished and Mack Ashland II was completed and leased by 2017. Unfortunately, the contractor did not install the driveways of the houses to City of Detroit standards requiring that all driveways had to be torn out and redone. The original curbs were installed in the 1920s and were made of granite. Today, the new curbs meet the 2009 City of Detroit Right-of-Way standards and are made of concrete, and the overall project was awarded an Enterprise Green Certification.
In 2018, Southwest Housing Solutions was a nominee of the Developments of Distinction Award from Novogradac & Company. According to Novogradac, Southwest Housing Corporation is committed to revitalizing Detroit’s Eastside neighborhood, as has been demonstrated from the success of Mack-Ashland I and Mack-Ashland II. In 2013 Mack-Ashland I (Phase I) of the Mack Ashland Community Revitalization Initiative was completed. The initiative included the development of a 39-unit building comprising studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments with commercial space on the ground floor. Mack-Ashland II (Phase II) is located behind the Mack Ashland apartment complex. Mack-Ashland III (Phase III) will be completed in the coming years and will continue to have a positive impact in the neighborhood.