Reduced rates for rooms at the Fletcher Collective

The Fletcher Collective is seeking new members for the 2010 - 2011 season. Rates were just reduced by $10 per month. We would love to meet you and share a dinner!

Single and double rooms available August 1. $374 - 464 per month includes food, rent, utilities, laundy. Learn more here.

Avoid common foreclosure scams

Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services (KNHS) recently held an event on the issue of “loan modification” scams.

According to KNHS, loan modification scams are routinely offered to homeowners under threat of foreclosure. Loan modification scams have been an issue for decades. They are still very common. About 15% of KNHS clients have been victims of a scam. Read more about loan modification scams and what you can do to protect yourself here.

KNHS is a nonprofit that serves low-to-moderate income neighborhoods in and around Kalamazoo County. Their educational services, offered at no cost, are designed to help people prepare for an upcoming purchase, manage their finances, and achieve other goals. In addition, KNHS offers foreclosure counseling. In some cases, KNHS can award grants to individuals in danger of being foreclosed upon.

KCH seeks Board members

We are seeking a Community Trustee to fill an open seat on our Board of Directors. We're looking for leaders who have expertise in any of the following areas:

  • Real estate
  • Property management
  • Finance
  • Social justice education
  • Community development

Board members are expected to attend at least one monthly meeting and actively support our governance process. If you are interested, please contact Chris Moore at board@kalamazoo.coop.

City releases draft Master Plan

The City of Kalamazoo, with assistance from an experienced consulting team led by LSL Planning, is updating its master plan. They want to hear what you would like to see in the city’s - neighborhoods, commercial and employment areas, green spaces, and the transportation system.

The effectiveness of Kalamazoo’s master plan is dependent on the public’s input and identifying ways to address the economic challenges facing the city. The goal of the master plan update is to create a sustainable city by preserving the city’s assets, enhancing the quality of life for current and future residents, attracting employers, and developing strategies to transform struggling areas and economic challenges.

Read the plan at http://www.kalamazoocity.org/docs/MasterPlanDraft032410.pdf

Learn more at www.kalamazoocity.org/PlanKalamazoo

Peace House featured on Michigan Radio

National NPR reporter Kyle Norris covered a story on the Kalamazoo Peace House, which is located on Phelps Street on the Eastside Neighborhood. Jerry Berrigan, Molly Mechtenberg, and Mike and Jen DeWaele combined their efforts to merge two neighborhood houses into the "Peace House." The DeWaeles are Quakers, whereas Molly Mechtenberg and Jerry Berrigan are Catholic Workers.

Listen to the story

Cooperative housing on national radio

Check out this recent feature on the Tavis Smiley Show about the cooperative housing movement: 

No Place Like Home: Eco Villages and Co-ops

We resume our series on life in the housing market after the mortgage bust, No Place Like Home: Keeping the American Dream Alive with a look at Eco-villages by KPCC reporter Brian Watt. Mark Fick, a senior loan and program officer for the Chicago Community Loan Fund and Verlander Thomkins, resident of the Harold Washington Unity Co-op in Chicago discuss the pros and cons of co-op living.

Listen online now!

Ending Homelessness in Kalamazoo: Progress in 2009