Basic Needs & Housing

A consistent focus dating back to our founders, we support non-profits that provide food, shelter and other necessities for day-to-day living, free of charge and in a high-quality, dignified, culturally aligned manner.

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A founding principle of Detroit Phoenix Center’s work is to include the lived experiences of youth to inform its work and be the leading voice for change and advocacy at local, regional, and national levels. Youth served by DPC are predominantly African-American; many are teen parents and identify as LGBTQ+. They are young, resilient, and driving social change. DPC’s staff members are homegrown leaders, deeply connected to their community & lend their expertise toward creating long-term, systemic change in efforts to prevent, end, and address youth homelessness.

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“

A founding principle of Detroit Phoenix Center’s work is to include the lived experiences of youth to inform its work and be the leading voice for change and advocacy at local, regional, and national levels. Youth served by DPC are predominantly African-American; many are teen parents and identify as LGBTQ+. They are young, resilient, and driving social change. DPC’s staff members are homegrown leaders, deeply connected to their community & lend their expertise toward creating long-term, systemic change in efforts to prevent, end, and address youth homelessness.

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Sample Grants

United Community Housing Coalition (UCHC) to build the organization’s capacity to provide tax foreclosure and eviction prevention services, prevent homelessness and increase housing security for Detroiters.

Keep Growing Detroit for building organizational capacity to support a growing network of Detroit residential gardeners, improving food security, increasing access to fresh produce, and pursuing a shared community vision of food sovereignty.

ACCESS, or Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, for working to meet the day-to-day living needs of individuals and families in Southeast Michigan, via community-building, food assistance, housing and legal assistance.

Other Examples

  • High quality, culturally aligned providers of rapid and supportive housing, and state-of-the-art shelters designed to connect our community to permanent housing quickly.

  • Strategies to address food insecurity and promote food sovereignty that prioritize food quality and honor community preferences on distribution.

  • Holistic programs that provide various forms of direct aid or cash assistance that help people pursue housing, transportation, education, employment options, legal, and other material needs.

  • Programs that help people navigate and connect to complex systems of public and social supports.

  • Providers of other essential resources such as clothing and furniture that serve a city- or county-wide geography, align with other systems of care (i.e., homelessness, workforce development, health and human services), and provide goods free of charge in a highly dignified and culturally appropriate manner.

Other Priorities

Covid-19 Relief

We supported our community in their mobilization and distribution of food, PPE, cash assistance, and other resources to meet wide scale emergency needs during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

Recovery & Restoration

We fund supports for people experiencing interpersonal or community violence, substance use, human trafficking, or other highly traumatic circumstances. Resources may include specialized, trauma-informed interventions and holistic pathways to healing.

Skill Building & Employment

We support opportunities grounded in community, relationships and cultural humility that lead to broader personal and career opportunities for teens and adults affected by poverty and inequity.