Hope

JULIE EDGAR STAFF WRITER

ttorney Mark Jacobs became bar
mitzvah at the old Temple Israel
in Detroit. Today, he represents
St. Paul Life and Praise, the
church that took its place.
He remembers hanging out on
Saturday afternoons at the Shoe
Center, his grandfather's store on
Livernois between Six and Seven
Mile roads, and other boutiques
that lined the "Avenue of Fash-
ion" in the same neighborhood.
It seems Mr. Jacobs' fate is
bound up with the once solidly
Jewish section of northwest De-
troit.
This year, he became chairman
of the board of REACH Inc., a
nonprofit community develop-
ment corporation (CDC) that de-
velops and provides social services
in an area bounded by the John
Lodge freeway, McNichols, Liv-
ernois and Woodrow Wilson.
Roughly 10,000 residents live in
the neighborhood, which is also
home to the University of Detroit.
Aside from buying and reha-
bilitating single-family homes and
townhouses and running job
training, youth enrichment,
parenting and

substance-abuse prevention pro-
grams, REACH is about to see the
fruit of its labors rise up from the
broken pavement of a vacant lot
off Puritan Avenue.
With $2.2 million in funding
from the Michigan State Housing
Development Authority, the Lo-
cal Initiative Sup-
port Corporation,
the city of Detroit
and the Michigan
Capital Housing
Fund, REACH is
developing Pilgrim
Village, a 22-unit
apartment build-
ing for low- to mod-
erate-income
families that will
be ready for occu-
pancy in the spring
of 1997. It hopes to
develop a compan-
ion project, Pilgrim Village II, a
few blocks away.
Mr. Jacobs' involvement in the
organization grew out of his
friendship with Lee Earl, the for-
mer pastor of Twelfth Street Bap-
tist Church, the birthplace
of REACH. Mr. Earl, now a
community activist in
Washington, D.C.,
asked Mr. Jacobs to
serve on the board of
REACH in 1988.
In 1990, REACH
organized as a CDC,
breaking off from the
church but continuing
its mission — pushing
back at the poverty
and blight that
gripped the neighbor-
hood as white resi-
dents moved to the
suburbs. President
George Bush named
REACH one of his
"thousand points of
light" and Presi-
dent Bill Clinton
has designated
the area as an
Americorps job
site.
Mr. Jacobs, a
managing part-
ner in the law
firm of Lipson,
Nielson, Ja-
cobs & Cole,
P.C., grew up in Oak
Park, lives in Farm-
ington Hills and
works in Troy. He's the
Attorneys Mark Jacobs and Pamela Martin
Turner of REACH.
•
only suburban, white

member of REACH's 11-member and violence," he says. "I'm not at
all suggesting we have carved out
board of directors.
"I'm the only one who's not a the land of Oz in a small region of
Detroit resident. Over the course northwest Detroit, but it is work-
of years, it's something we're all ing.
"Five years ago I would've said
comfortable with," he says. "In
many ways I feel I'm a goodwill it was too frustrating, we were
ambassador from the Jewish com- knocking our heads against the
munity, particular- wall. But lately things are getting
ly in light of the done quickly in the city," he says.
ongoing controver-
Ms. Turner says there is no
sy and debate over question the housing department
Jewish/African- is moving much quicker nowadays
American rela- in demolishing ramshackle hous-
es and approving development
tions."
REACH execu- plans, at least for REACH. May-
tive director Pamela or Dennis Archer showed up at
Martin Turner has the groundbreaking for Pilgrim
deeper roots in the Village and has spoken very fa-
neighborhood. After vorably of the organization.
An advantage of the neighbor-
earning a law de-
gree at George hood is the stability of its resi-
Washington Uni- dents, Ms. Turner says.
versity and a mas-
"But this neighborhood has suf-
ter's in public administration from fered the same kind of economic
Harvard, she returned to the area, disinvestment and struggle with
buying a home with her husband deteriorating housing stock, crime
near the home of her childhood. and drugs that you see in other
Both their families are in Detroit, urban areas. I don't think we're
but the decision to come home was going to resolve all these issues in
more about commitment to the five or even 10 years, but we've
well-being of the larger commu- had some real successes. These
last few projects, particularly Pil-
nity.
"It's my life ambition to help or- grim Village, bode well for the fu-
dinary people do extraordinary ture of the neighborhood," she
things. Community development says.
Although it's not in the same
is the way to do it," Ms. Turner
neighborhood, REACH has also
says.
In a small twist of fate for her, rehabilitated the Gladstone, a six-
REACH's offices are in the former unit building at Gladstone and
building of her childhood pedia- Second Avenue that has been re-
trician at Puritan and Rosa Parks stored to its former grandeur with
$350,000. Funding came from the
Boulevard (12th Street).
Driving along Puritan, she city of Detroit, Michigan State
pointed out the tidy streets of Mar- Housing Development Authority,
tin Park, a middle-class section NBD Bank and Michigan Con-
occupied by families that bought solidated Gas. The two- and three-
the sturdy Tudor homes from bedroom brownstones, all with
Jewish families 30 and 40 years fireplaces, will be leased to lower-
ago. On the other side of the av- income families within the next
enue, where REACH concentrates few months. Another REACH pro-
its efforts, she and Mr. Jacobs ject in the works is a day-care cen-
pointed out piles of rubble that will ter not far from the organization's
be cleared one day for new hous- central office. REACH is also con-
ing and at empty lots they hope to sidering providing small-business
improvement loans to area shops.
acquire for development.
Mr. Jacobs smiles as he navi-
Since 1986, REACH has
bought, refurbished and sold gates his Jeep through the streets.
"The truth is, on a number of
about 30 homes on land contracts
to local residents with the hope levels, I think there are strong rea-
they will maintain and continue sons for all of us to be committed
to the city. On one level, aside
to renovate them.
Mr. Jacobs says there have from my family, I feel we have a
been some "wonderful success sto- responsibility to our neighbor-
ries," although some of the homes hoods, the community," he says.
"I alsO don't want my children to
have been abandoned.
`The neighborhood is still strug- grow up and leave the metropol-
gling with urban decay and drugs itan area." ❑