The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to the Coalition On Temporary Shelter (COTS), which is one of the largest providers of housing for homeless families in Detroit.
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to the Coalition On Temporary Shelter (COTS), which is one of the largest providers of housing for homeless families in Detroit.
The grant will support capital expenditures for Peggy’s Place in Detroit, the new home to COTS’ emergency shelter for families and its Bright Beginnings early childhood care and development center.
Construction is currently underway on Peggy’s Place; it’s expected to open in August.
Beginning this summer, renovations will also begin on COTS's Midtown site to convert its upper floors to 56 units of two- and three-bedroom apartments, providing permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless families, funded with low income housing tax credit funds.
“The transformation not only of this building but the lives of children in profoundly positive ways is evident,” Virginia Romano, executive director of the Dresner Foundation said. “Therefore, we are pleased to support COTS’ work to provide hope, help and housing.”
“The Dresner Foundation’s gift will bring a lot of new energy to our organization,” Cheryl P. Johnson, CEO of COTS said. “We are working diligently to offer practical, real-life solutions to the homelessness crisis here in Detroit. The grant will help us focus on long-term strategies to help our families on the road to independence.”
COTS shared that on any given night in Detroit, there are 16,000 homeless people.
