Main Street Housing is Making a Difference in Lowell

 Main Steet Housing Is Changing Lives

Originally published in The Lowell Ledger 7.5.23

What do you think of when the words “Flat River Outreach Ministries” (aka “FROM”) come to mind? Most of us will probably think of Food Fight filling up the Food Pantry to help our neighbors or maybe their Thrift Shop. Others may be well aware of more ways that FROM helps people in the area – from the loaning of medical equipment to helping people with their taxes. All of these are really great programs, especially when you consider that the genius of FROM is that it involves the resources of several area churches which allows it to tackle these critical issues on a much larger scale than if it were the efforts of a single congregation.

For the past seven years, FROM has been tackling one of the most needed issues facing Lowell and most other communities: affordable housing. In 2016, FROM launched Main Street Housing (MSH) when they purchased five city lots in Lowell. The most visible effort to date has been the steady transformation of the big house at 504 East Main Street, across from Ball’s Ice Cream. Thanks to hundreds of hours of volunteer labor and thousands of dollars in donations from the community, the house has gone from being somewhat of an eyesore to an eye catching asset. Wendie Priess, Executive Director at FROM, estimates that the generosity of volunteer workers saved MSH close to $50,000.00 last year.

Our housing model is self-sustainable,” Priess noted. “Though large renovations still require community investment, we are happy to report that our rental income covers regular operating expenses such as utilities and lawn care.”

The goal of MSH is to “Provide safe, dignified affordable housing in Lowell.” The recent tours given by Priess and Jodi Seese last week is proof that their goal is being achieved. Seese is a loyal FROM volunteer who wears several hats when it comes to MSH. She has been appointed Facility Manager, Project Manager, and Volunteer Remodel Coordinator. The remodeling volunteers most recently turned “the dungeon” of a laundry room into a thing of practical beauty. The laundry room had not been operational in five years. Those of us on the tour walked by beautiful flowers and multiple raised bed gardens on our way to the laundry room. There were pictures showing what it used to look like. “WOW” is the appropriate word to use when considering the transformation.

Wendie Priess, Executive Director at FROM, is rightfully
proud of the newly remodeled laundry room.

When we were done there, we got to see a recently remodeled living space on the ground floor that is almost ready for a resident. The rest of the apartments are occupied, one of them by a resident who has lived in the building for over 30 years. Unit One provided another “wow” moment as we took in the bright and sparkly clean, fully appointed living space. Back in the “old days” seven residents had to share one bathroom. Now there are only two of the ten apartments that share a bathroom. Unit One has a tub/shower combination just off to the left as you walk in. It also has a kitchen sink, cupboards, and is awaiting the delivery of a small refrigerator freezer. All in all, it was a great looking space for someone and the rent will be very reasonable at $475.00 a month. MSH units rent for between $350.00 and $650.00 a month.

Rents are kept as low as possible. Rather than turning a profit, MSH is more interested in offering safe, affordable living spaces. Many times the MSH units are a stepping stone helping people who have gone through a rough patch for one reason or another to recover and move forward.

“The overall message that we’re hoping for folks to walk away with is that FROM has a proven track record with affordable housing. First, we work with applicants to overcome obstacles to housing,” Priess commented. “And then, just like all of our programs, we walk alongside tenants and do what we can to empower them to reach their goals. It is an individualized approach where we offer a hand-up not a hand-out.”

Another great emphasis of MSH is to serve the people of Lowell. When units are available, they are only advertised locally. It is important to know that in addition to paying rent, there are rules and leases involved in living here. MSH goes the extra mile in creating a community environment that empowers residents. On the flip side, residents are expected to live according to the house rules and are educated on what it means to be a good neighbor. No federal monies are accepted at MSH because such money comes with restrictions and rigid guidelines. Jodi and Wendie explained to the group that MSH wants to be able to tailor their housing to meet the needs of each individual who lives there.

Christa Wetzel and Brad Brillhart learn about all the work
that went into the recently refurbished Unit One.

Jodi Seese is understandably proud of the transformation that has taken place at 504 East Main. She also is very proud of what has enabled it to happen. She told us, “The best part for me is looking back at this pilot program over six plus years and seeing how it is all anchored in giving. The volunteers giving of their time and talents is the obvious one and a key reason this model is sustainable. But Main Street Housing has also been the beneficiary of three Eagle Scout projects, grants for things like the laundry room remodel, churches and family foundations adopting apartments so they can be renovated with quality materials to provide a safe, dignified place to call home. We live in a very generous community, and it is a privilege to be a part of that spirit of giving.”

Speaking of “a very generous community”, the garden beds were one of the Eagle Scout projects. The residents are so excited about them that when MSH did a survey asking them if they would like to see some more storage areas made available to them, they responded by saying that they would prefer to have more garden plots. Residents pay an additional ten dollars a month for the plots and they have become a source of pride. It also allows MSH residents an opportunity to help others, because the extra produce grown there is shared through the food bank.

The raised bed gardens are a hit with the residents
at Main Street Housing. They want more of them.

We asked Wendie if she could share some success stories. She was happy to comply, “One of our tenants recently shared, ‘I’m actually watching my credit go up, I’m getting everything paid off, I’m able to help my dad.’”

She continued with, “Chris, another tenant, said, ‘Look around we are literally like a community here. A lot of stuff that gets done as far as the appearance on the outside is done by the tenants that live here.’”

Priess also mentioned that people in neighboring houses have expressed appreciation at the transformation at 504 East Main Street over the past few years.

One of the residents at Main Street Housing loves flowers
and it shows. The grounds are eye catching now.

She stressed that it is important that people have an opportunity to be near their support network and familiar surroundings. Staying in Lowell is important to their tenants. MSH knows that when our neighbors have to worry about housing, it is difficult to focus on a job, on their loved ones, or most anything else. By providing a clean, safe place to live, they hope to take that worry away so that residents can focus on their other goals.

We are happy to close by letting you know that bolstered by the success at 504 E Main, MSH is brewing up some very exciting expansion plans. Remember, we mentioned above that they purchased a total of five lots. They are planning to introduce all of us to their vision of a completely new building on some of that land that will usher in a potential seventeen more apartments. The future is looking bright for Main Street Housing as well as the people of Lowell who will be fortunate enough to live there.