DETROIT – Detroit Blight Busters, a well-known local group dedicated to helping neighbors remove blight and trash from their streets, is kicking off a significant community clean-up project this week.
Thanks to a generous $1 million grant from the State of Michigan, this effort focuses on beautifying parts of Northwest Detroit, specifically an area in Old Redford.
The team, along with local neighbors, has begun saturating the Old Redford area with clean-up activities. Volunteer efforts are underway, with a hands-on approach to tackling the accumulated debris, overgrown brush, and vacant properties that need attention.
“The goal will be to remove all of the negative energy from our communities. So, in that space, we can make something positive happen,” said John Goerge, Founder of Detroit Blight Busters.
This clean-up initiative differs from the ongoing efforts Detroit Blight Busters have been known for over the past four decades. The key driver of this expanded project is the state grant, supported by local lawmakers, which allows the nonprofit to hire and employ youth from the community to actively participate in the clean-up work.
John George emphasized, “This grant is instrumental in our ability to hire and employ youth from the community, to continue this clean-up work. To be able to take this debris to the dump and get rid of it.”
The group’s grant-funded activities include cutting down dead and dying trees, trimming overgrown brush, and cleaning up around vacant properties. The effort is rooted in the belief that families, including children, should not have to live surrounded by filth and neglect.
“There are families that live here. And they have children that live here,” George said. “We cannot allow them to live in and around filth.”
Residents are encouraged to proactively report nuisances and problem areas through the Improve Detroit app, making it easier for inspectors to respond swiftly.
Steele Hughes, the area’s Deputy District Manager, highlighted the impact of the grant, “It shows the state needs to invest in small nonprofits in communities, our CVI groups. People that are integrated into the community know the needs of the neighborhoods better than us.”
Detroit Blight Busters welcomes all community members to join in the effort. To volunteer, call 313-255-4355, or meet the team at their standing volunteer date every Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Motor City Java House on Lahser Road.
