siness
arc Zwick knew he'd return to
Michigan after he finished
law school in Boston.
He and his wife Randy, an
attorney, could have put down
new roots anywhere, but they
chose to settle in Southfield,
near the house where he grew up.
Today, the Zwicks and their 19-month-
old daughter Samantha can walk to his
parents' house and to their synagogue,
Young Israel of Southfield. Six other Or-
thodox families live in the neighborhood,
and their new home is convenient to both
their jobs.
Mr. Zwick, who practices accounting
rather than law, said the family never re-
ally considered moving to another area, but
a S4,000 interest-free loan from Neighbor-
hood Project made their decision to stay in
Southfield easier.
Since 1986, Neighborhood Project, a pro-
gram of the Jewish Federation of Metro-
politan Detroit, has helped nearly 1,000
Jewish families stay in or move to neigh-
borhoods once threatened by decline. This
month the Project launched a new phase
of the program, increasing the maximum
amount of money it will loan to families
moving to three particular areas in South-
field and Oak Park.
"We are trying to maintain a Jewish
presence that was always there," said Alan
Singer, chairman of the 20-member Neigh-
borhood Project board. "We're not trying to
take back those neighborhoods."
The Zwicks moved into their new home,
which is located off Lahser between 11 and
12 Mile roads, in August. The loan, which
they have five years to pay back, freed up
money to redo a bathroom and pay the
movers, carpet cleaners and wall wash-
ers — "All the little things you have to do
to move in," Mr. Zwick said.
"We needed a little more money to help
move in the house. When you move in,
these little expenses come up. You usually
use all your cash for the down payment."
Samantha will attend Akiva, as Mr.
Zwick did, so the public school district was
not a factor for the Zwicks. But being close
to the school bus stop and their synagogue
made the neighborhood attractive.
Plus, the Orthodox community is larger
in Southfield than in the northwest sub-
urbs, he said.
"This is where the main community is.
This is really the only place to be when you
put things together," said Mr. Zwick.
Sharon and Paul Levine moved to their
second home in Oak Park two years ago.
They plan to stay there "forever," Sharon
said.
The couple and their three daughters
bought a spacious, four-bedroom ranch off
Coolidge, north of 10 Mile Road, with the
help of a $6,000 loan from Neighborhood
Project.
The Levines, who used the interest-free
loan for a down payment, can walk to their
synagogue, Congregation Beth Shalom,
and their oldest daughter Jennifer can at-
tend Berkley High School.
Although they don't plan to move, prop-
erty values in the neighborhood are on the
rise, said Ms. Levine, a Michigan field work-
er for United Synagogue Youth.
`The homes in the neighborhood are sell-
Marc, Randy and Samantha Zwick like Southfield.
PHOTOS BY BILL HANSEN
Suiltli
EBIlammicm
Neighborhood Project ups the ante
on interest-free home loans.
JULIE EDGAR STAFF WRITER
ing for a lot more than we paid," she said.
"We like living in Oak Park. We really
wanted to stay in Oak Park. These houses
are beautiful homes. It's a nice communi-
ty and a wonderful block."
Block by block, as Neighborhood Project
helps to restore neighborhoods in South-
field and Oak Park, property values are up
as people build new homes and expand old
ones, said Mr. Singer.
And Jewish institutions like the old B'nai
Moshe (now the Beth Jacob School) and the
Jimmy Prentis Morris Jewish Communi-
ty Center are being "recycled" and reno-
vated as neighborhoods blossom again.
"We really believe we've had a hand in
stabilizing those neighborhoods," Mr.
Singer said.
Since 1986, Neighborhood Project has
loaned more than $4 million to 831 fami-
lies to help them buy or renovate homes in
Oak Park and Southfield. As of the end of
September, 58 percent of the families had
bought in Oak Park. And only 13 percent
of all loan recipients have moved.
The United Jewish Foundation (UJF),
part of the Jewish Federation, has grant-
ed Neighborhood Project a total of $1.35
million for the loans.
Overall, 20 percent of the loan recipients
are New Americans and singles, said Mr.
Singer, and 90 percent of all recipients are
families with young children. However, half
of all recent applicants are New Americans,
usually from Russia.
Neighborhood Project loans cover areas
extending from 10 Mile and Greenfield to
11 Mile and Lahser to 12 Mile and Ever-
green. The neighborhoods fall within the
Berkley, Birmingham, Ferndale, South-
field and Oak Park school districts.
Thanks in part to a recent $100,000
grant from the UJF, Neighborhood Project
just launched a new phase of its program,
upping the amount of money it will loan to
people, interest free, who move to homes
in Sherwood Village, an area bounded by
Pierce, Southfield, 10 Mile Road and Lin-
coln; the 11 Mile-Lahser area; and the area
of Southfield south of 10 Mile bounded by
Greenfield, Pierce and Stratford. Recipi-
ents will have 61/2 years to repay the loans.
Typically, families who apply for loans
receive a maximum of between $6,000 and
$8,000; those interested in the new target
area can get up to $10,000.
Neighborhood Project will provide loans
to Jewish home buyers who have already
qualified for a mortgage, but won't lend
more than half of the down payment
amount. Loans may also be used for clos-
ing costs and moving expenses.
Applicants must have resided in the
United States for two years to qualify, and
while there is no minimum length of time
required for living in a house, the occupants
are not allowed to sublease to other ten-
ants.
The application process is simple and
swift, Mr. Zwick and Mrs. Levine agreed.
Outgoing project director Rhoda Rader-
man pointed out that the idea behind
Neighborhood Project "is not to help peo-
ple who can't afford to live in those areas,"
but to provide added incentive to people
"who simply need a financial boost."
New Americans tend to buy in north Oak
Park so their children can attend Berkley
schools or in the Cranbrook Village sub-
division, part of which is in the Birming-
ham School District, Ms. Raderman said.
Many Orthodox Jews who don't rely on
public schools and need to be close to their
synagogues opt for neighborhoods in north
and south Oak Park, she added.
Over half the loans provided since 1986
have been paid back, almost all of them on
BUILDING BLOCKS page 56