After decades of collecting dust, the former St. Mary of Redford school on Detroit's northwest side is finally getting a new assignment. Volunteers of America Michigan and city officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday to convert the long-vacant building into permanent supportive housing. The adaptive-reuse plan calls for 61 apartments for Detroit residents who have been chronically homeless, paired with on-site case management and health supports. Backers peg the investment at roughly $31 million.
Volunteers of America Michigan is leading the development, with Ethos Development Partners, O'Brien Construction and property manager KMG Prestige also on the team, according to Volunteers of America Michigan. The project page describes studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms carved out of former classrooms, plus a converted gym that will serve as a community space.
Funding and financing
State planning documents show the deal stacks several funding tools. The conversion pairs 4% and 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits with historic tax credits, City HOME funds and Authority financing, and Fifth Third Bank is slated to provide construction lending, according to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's board docket (MSHDA). Local reporting has placed the total investment in the roughly $29 to $31 million range, with one account using $31 million for the current phase as reported by MLive.
Construction timeline and move-ins
Officials say construction should take roughly a year, with leasing expected to begin in 2027 and move-ins staged through mid-to-late 2027. CBS Detroit reported that apartments could be ready for residents by mid-2027, a timetable that lines up with developer statements and project documents.
On-site services and eligibility
Project materials and federal filings describe the development as permanent supportive housing with on-site case management, mental-health connections and employment assistance, with tenants referred through Detroit's Coordinated Assessment Model. The Authority's staff report also notes that many units will receive project-based vouchers and that ten units are expected to carry VA VASH vouchers aimed at veterans, and that supportive-service agreements must be in place before permanent loan closing, according to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's staff report (MSHDA).
From the parish to the block
The school building has sat largely unused since the high school closed in the early 1990s, and parish leaders say selling the property to Volunteers of America Michigan will preserve the historic structure while helping fund parish ministries. Detroit Catholic reported that the parish viewed the deal as a way to keep the building in community use and to follow a template other Detroit churches have used to turn empty campuses into housing.
Support services funding remains key
VOA's CEO Aubrey McFarlane cautioned at the ceremony that funding for wraparound services, the non-rental supports that keep people housed, remains a major challenge, a concern reported by MLive. Advocates note that long-term service dollars often come from a patchwork of grants, vouchers and philanthropy, and that locking in those streams will be essential if the program is to reduce returns to homelessness.
What's next
Developers say they will open inquiries and applications when leasing begins in 2027, and that local contractors can look for bidding information through the project's general contractor. The Volunteers of America Michigan project page lists contact details and planned community meetings among the pre-construction steps.
