Director’s Corner: Empowering Women through Community Development

Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano is very progressive when it comes to choosing his leaders and department directors, many of whom are women, and women of color. I am proud to serve in the role of Chief Development Officer for Wayne County’s Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) while also being the mother of two children. I feel fortunate to have a career that challenges me, and a family that is there to support me on a daily basis.

The economy in Southeast Michigan, as everyone knows painfully well, is struggling. A struggling economy manifests itself, among other ways, in layoffs, home foreclosures, and destabilized neighborhoods.   

According to a 2005 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, one in four women are victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives. Statistics also tell us that during difficult economic times, incidents of domestic violence go up. Moreover, as an expert told me recently, options for women caught in bad situations are limited. The importance of providing safe havens for victims of domestic violence cannot be overstated.

When the Wayne County Executive directed me to address the issue of domestic violence, I made it top priority for my staff. Last month, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano awarded $2 million in grants to four Wayne County non-profits to empower victims of domestic violence. The awards came from a combination of HOME and Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds, funds that were awarded to Wayne County through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The non-profits that received awards were First Step, YWCA, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), and Vista Maria. The grant money will be used by these established non-profits to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed homes and turn them into transitional housing. Some are intended to provide safe havens for women, offering them options safer living options, and getting them the resources they need to approach life with a sense of hope, dignity, and empowerment.  I would like to personally thank my senior executive project manager, Jill Ferrari, who managed the project.

To honor the recipients of the awards, we held an awards ceremony at the Wayne County Building. Presidents, executive directors, CEOs and practitioners from a variety of non-profits joined us to break bread and celebrate the empowerment of women who have been victimized by domestic violence.

There is one other piece to this great project and that is the creation of jobs and investment in our neighborhoods. These non-profits will purchase foreclosed homes and rehabilitate them into housing for women in need. Consequently, constructions and trades jobs will be created, and abandoned homes will be put back into use, helping to stabilize neighborhoods. Most importantly, we are assisting a critical social service support system in Wayne County and Southeast Michigan by making community development a part of human development.

We at Wayne County work hard everyday to identify innovative ways to improve and uplift the lives of our residents. We recognize that positive change requires us to take a holistic approach to improving the health of our communities and improving the lives of citizens in need. With the support of our non-profit community and dedicated citizens, we will make sure that every person is provided a safe living environment so that they can realize their personal potential.