Life Remodeled, a nonprofit in Detroit, last week provided the first public preview of Anchor Detroit on the city’s east side, its second Opportunity Hub. The first is located on the city’s west side at the Durfee Innovation Society next to Central High School.
The opening marked the launch of a new chapter of economic, educational, and environmental mobility for residents who live near Anchor Detroit.
After three years of building momentum, the nearly 72,000-square-foot hub at 9740 McKinney St., near I-94 and Whittier Avenue, now is beginning to connect residents to resources, workforce development programs, after-school youth services, and health and wellness support, and activities.
The facility was formerly Winans Performing Arts Academy and, before that, Dominican Catholic High School.
Life Remodeled’s Opportunity Hub approach is a pillar of the organization’s E3M model — economic, educational, and environmental mobility. By improving all three areas simultaneously, the model builds the foundation for what Life Remodeled calls Thriving Class Communities: places where families are economically secure, educationally on the move, civically connected, and deeply rooted in their neighborhoods.
“The first public preview of Anchor Detroit was more than a ribbon-cutting,” says Diallo Smith, CEO of Life Remodeled. “After three years of community-driven momentum, we’re proving that our model for sustainable neighborhood revitalization can extend to other parts of the city.
“What we accomplished on Detroit’s west side with the Durfee Innovation Society has been nothing short of amazing. Now, Anchor Detroit, on Detroit’s east side, represents the next chapter of our E3M model for revitalizing neighborhoods and building Thriving Class Communities. This is a model we believe can be replicated and impactful nationwide.”
Last year, the organization reported the Durfee Innovation Society produced more than 850 job placements for Detroiters and stimulated $16 million-plus in new local wages.
Additionally, the Durfee neighborhood has seen a significant decline in crime alongside a significant increase in engaged residents, according to the nonprofit. Anchor Detroit is designed to achieve the same measurable, generational impact on the east side.
“I love Life Remodeled and am immensely excited about the opening of the new innovation hub in the old Dominican High School/Winans Academy,” says Jacqueline Perkins, a community member and lead project planner of Great Communities Now. “I believe we will see an enhancement in community vitality turnaround in direct correlation to the presence of Anchor Detroit.”
Anchor Detroit’s community and philanthropic investment includes Amazon’s cumulative investment in Life Remodeled that will reach $500,000, while the State of Michigan is a $2 million donor to the capital campaign.
“Amazon has seen firsthand how Life Remodeled turns investment into lasting impact,” says Ian Conyers, head of community affairs at Amazon. “Anchor Detroit is a blueprint for public-private partnership done right, and we’re excited to see it open its doors to the east side community.”
To learn more about Anchor Detroit and Life Remodeled, visit liferemodeled.org.
