A fresh look at some of the stories we reported on in the past weeks.

Tenants
Remain At
Fisher
Building

LESLEY PEARL

STAFF WRITER

The Fisher Building

Jewish
Presence
At Butzel

KIMBERLY LIFTON

STAFF WRITER

THE
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0

.

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itr,

hen Federation
announced it would
move from the old
Butzel Building on
Madison in Detroit, officials
promised to maintain a
Jewish presence at the facil-
ity.
They kept their word.
Still located at the down-
town Detroit location are
offices for Federation,
Jewish Community Council
and the American Jewish
Committee. They share

Project
Hot In
Schools

KIMBERLY LIFTON

STAFF WRITER

F
D

or the first time since
inception six
years ago, the
Neighborhood Project

its

JFS
Hopes
Grant Will
Fund
Shelter

RUTH LITTMANN

STAFF WRITER

irectors at the Jew-
ish Family Service
hope to receive a
much-needed grant
from the Kresge Foun-
dation this month.
In 1992, the agency
applied for the founda-
tion's Van Dusen Chal-
lenge Grant program,
which helps private agen-
cies build endowments.
Funds from the Van
Dusen Challenge Grant
would go toward an en-
dowment for maintaining
the agency's Child Abuse
Prevention Program. A
shelter for battered
women and their families,
scheduled to open in
April, would also benefit.
The Van Dusen Chal-

,

hen Jewish Feder-
ation moved into
its new home at
6735 Telegraph
Road in Bloomfield
Township from Detroit in
1992, some tenants wor-
ried about the fate of their
offices.
However, more than a
year later, private busi-
nesses happily remain in
the Max M. Fisher
Building.
Nearly 20 offices not
affiliated with Federation
plan to continue their
stay.

"In most cases, we are
renewing leases. It's the
tenants' decision," said
Irving Protetch, property
manager for the United
Jewish Foundation. "When
Federation took over this
building, the whole
premise was that we did
not need all of this space
to operate."
Other Jewish organiza-
tions, such as Jewish
Community Council and
Jewish Theological Semi-
nary, also occupy offices at
the Fisher Building.

2,500 square feet of office
space, used for Detroit-
based meetings and some
computer operations.
Barden Cable Co. pur-
chased the building when
Federation moved offices to
the Max M. Fisher Building
on Telegraph south of
Maple Road in Bloomfield
Hills.
Barden has leased some
of the offices to other ten-
ants.

The Butzel Building

is providing more home
loans to those moving into
Southfield than Oak Park.
Statistics for 1992
showed that 54 of 105 loan
seekers moved into homes
in Southfield, while 51
opted for Oak Park.
In previous years, hous-
es sold in Oak Park
through Neighborhood
Project outnumbered
Southfield by about a
three to two ratio.
Most of those buying
property in Southfield are

choosing neighborhoods in
the Birmingham Public
Schools area where
Neighborhood Project
expanded two years ago,
Neighborhood Project
organizers said.
This area, north of 12
1/2 Mile between Ever-
green and Greenfield,' is
the newest hot area for
the Project.
"We are up in loans in
the area north of 12 Mile
Road," said Rhoda Rader-
man, project director. "We

lenge Grant program
would, over three years,
fund 5 percent of the
agency's $2 million en-
dowment goal. The agency
already has raised
$450,000 in endowment
money toward that end.
If JFS realizes its goal,
the Kresge Foundation
will kick in another

Thereafter, it is estimated
to cost $41,000 annually.
The Van Dusen Chal-
lenge Grant program is
needed to replace a
$250,000 annual alloca-
tion from the Skillman
Foundation. The Skillman
Grant, $1.2 million over
five years, ran out in
January.
"If we don't get the
Kresge grant we will still
develop the endowment,"
said JFS Executive Di-
rector Alan Goodman.
"But it would make it very
difficult because we would
struggle to find the oper-
ating dollars in the short
term." fl

$666,000.
. The Child Abuse Pre-

vention Program, which
deals with about 55 cases
a month, has a 1993 bud-
get of $241,000. The shel-
ter — funded by the
National Council of Jew-
ish Women, JFS, and an
anonymous endowment —
will cost $58,500 during
its first year of operations.

have seen a decrease in
the areas south of 10 Mile
in Oak Park and between
Evergreen, Lahser, 11
Mile and 12 Mile roads.
But we still are selling
homes in these areas."
In total, Neighborhood
Project has provided 571
loans since its inception.
The program to encourage
Jewish families to move
into these areas, Mrs.
Raderman said, has been
more successful than orga-
nizers had anticipated.

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