Our housing work has two goals. The first is to build a healthy, thriving, and values-based community by attracting new residents to our area, removing vacant homes, and deepening connections with our current neighbors. The second is to model a solution to the city’s twin systemic crises of a dearth of affordable housing and deteriorating neighborhoods.
We know that our goal of building a thriving community would be incomplete without local opportunities for work and shopping. To that end, we have trained more than 60 aspiring entrepreneurs, created a local/Muslim business directory, hosted a well-attended all-day street fair, and begun to re-envision what our commercial corridor of Woodrow Wilson could look like over the next few years.
If our work only amounted to private fundraising for home rehabs, we would fall woefully short of challenging the systemic failures that have shaped Detroit’s neighborhoods today. That’s why we seek to organize our local community around the issues that are most pressing to residents in our impact turf, as well as to involve Muslims from throughout the metro Detroit area in the struggle for housing, economic, and racial justice in Detroit’s neighborhoods.
In today’s world, the majority of individuals with criminal records are subject to housing discrimination, limiting their housing options and making it difficult for them to re-enter society. However, Dream of Detroit aims to challenge this narrative by providing a transitional home in our community for formerly incarcerated men who are in need of a second chance. Our Project Homecoming program is open to individuals of any background but supports Muslim men in particular who are looking to bridge the gap between their faith practice and a healthy expression of faith in their lives after incarceration.
The DREAM Storytelling Project is a unique initiative that aims to showcase the narratives of African-American Muslim leaders in Detroit. The project has brought together diverse voices and stories from the community, weaving together a compelling narrative of the community’s rich history and cultural contributions. The stories are also aimed at providing context on how the community has developed informed solutions to the city’s enduring problems. In many ways, the storytelling project is an act of cultural preservation and a celebration of the community’s resilience.
Imagine walking through your neighborhood and seeing a bustling community hub. A place where people gather to learn, create, collaborate, and innovate. A place where there are resources to actualize your dreams, no matter how big or small. This type of place may be a rare sight in some neighborhoods, but luckily, ours is about to get one. And it is called the DREAM Center.
Copyright 2024 @ DREAM OF DETROIT | Detroit Revival Engaging American Muslims | Tax ID# 46-4246696
"The true life that God wants for all people—not one people—their true life is a life of cooperation… community life!"
- Imam W.D. Mohammed
