LINC takes big picture,funds for blight

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - In the neighborhood of Madison and Hall, Dean Wiers-Windenmullers found a home for his business, Southtown Guitar. Now, he's expanding.

"Investing in neighborhoods that have not been invested in in the past is sort of a personal passion of mine," he told 24 Hour News 8. "I'm not a non-profit, but I'm trying to live my life and everything I do, I'm trying to do it in such a way I can help people who need help."

While he is risking his own money, he has some help from LINC, a community organization that will use nearly $700,000 to take out up to 40 blighted buildings in southeast Grand Rapids.

The money is part of a statewide grant shared by, among others, the City of Plainwell, Kalamazoo's Lift Foundation, the Kalamazoo County Land Bank, the City of Muskegon and the Inner City Christian Federation in Grand Rapids.

Michigan is distributing $15 million from a national foreclosure settlement to 34 entities around the state to eliminate blight, and a number of communities in West Michigan are sharing a portion of the grant.

The money is the result of a 2012 settlement reached by attorneys general from around the US and mortgage providers over foreclosure practices.

In the past, most of the funds like this were given to local government. Blighted homes would be torn down, the dozers would drive away - and that was that.
 
LINC is taking a bigger picture approach. The group is targeting neighborhoods where public investments have already been made, like the Gerald R . Ford Middle School.

"We're really able to build upon a solid strength and a lot of opportunites that are already happening," said LINC's Jeremy Deroo.

In theory, there's a domino effect to that effort. Property values go up and fewer of your tax dollars are spent.

"Police department spending for instance," Deroo said. "The burnt up, boarded up houses which are used for bad purposes suddenly are removed."

Then, the quality of life in the area improves.

It's good for Wiers-Windenmullers and his business.

"My motivation is the people who live here and the great kids I get to work with and the great families I get to see that are just as important as you or me or anybody living in a more affluent area."