Speech given by John Van Camp at Solutions as Sunrise, October 14, 2009

I’m frequently asked what does Southwest Solutions do. A simple question really but the answer, while it can be said in three words, is rather complex.

We build community.

We firmly believe that building community is an intervention. When children that live in our apartments take a meal to a disabled senior, when parents that just learned English volunteer at the school to increase attendance, when we are able to prevent foreclosures in a neighborhood…when the people we have served become active in their neighborhood or school, we are creating another kind of safety net – a healthy community; one that is far more enduring.

So how do we build community? We do it in three ways: First, we provide a unique and comprehensive array of both health and human services along with housing and economic development.

Let me talk briefly about a few of the services we offer.

Southwest Counseling Solutions is a leading provider of mental health counseling, juvenile justice, and family literacy in Wayne County. We serve more than 1500 adults and nearly 1000 children each month.

To illustrate, let’s just look at one segment of the people we serve. We’ve provided counseling to more than 3000 Spanish-speaking individuals in the last two decades and we do that with the largest number of bilingual counselors of any agency in the state. The result: Not one person we served last year had to be hospitalized for psychiatric reasons; and 80% are now able to manage their illness so that they no longer need therapy. This program costs less than a third of the average cost of community mental health counseling, nationally.

We are also a leader in addressing homelessness in Detroit. Since we started five years ago, we have helped 500 homeless individuals and families get off the streets and into their own apartment.

And they are successful! 9 of every 10 that we house remain in their home a year after being in the program. These outcomes are best in the nation.

On the housing and economic side, our staff are counseling families and helping them create and preserve their wealth so they can climb out of poverty. Last year we worked with 1450 people who were facing foreclosure and helped 350 families prevent it and we are still actively working with over 700.

Over the past ten years, we have revitalized 24 apartment buildings and renovated 40,000 square feet of commercial space and both have occupancy rates above 90 %. The $70 million we have invested has had a ripple effect and is spurring other economic development and increasing the value of surrounding properties. I invite you to join me on one of our monthly tours to see the effect of what we are doing and see the one neighborhood in Detroit that has been growing over the last ten years.

Now let me tell you about two new development projects.

First, construction on Piquette Square is now proceeding nicely. Piquette will provide dignified housing for 150 homeless veterans along with support services to help reintegrate them into society. This will be only be the second project of its kind in the country. We hope you will join us at the grand opening next spring.

Second, we are about to restore an Albert Kahn designed warehouse on Michigan Avenue. It will become the second site for an existing partnership we have with Covenant Community Care providing integrated medical and behavioral health care. At this new site we will consolidate all of our many children, youth and family services and together with Covenant create a wellness center that will improve the wellbeing of many thousands of families. So these are just some of the services that our 320 staff provide to help build a vibrant community.

However, as important as our services are, we know we cannot build a strong community alone. The second way we build community is through our partnerships. Many problems of society are so complex and beyond the purview of what a single agency or government program can address. So we at Southwest are vested in the success of our partners and partnerships and are constantly looking for new opportunities.

Let me share just a few examples. First, we partner with people who have been the recipients of our services. In a few moments you will hear from Shirley Cockrell, a mental health consumer who is now a partner doing amazing work with the homeless and people with mental illness at our Go-Getters Program.

We also partner with artists. There are strong arts and culture organizations in southwest Detroit, many of whom are in the room today and they are leading a renewal of spirit in the community. We are working with them to provide space where artists can work, perform, live and thrive.

As a part of that we are about to purchase the old Third Precinct building on West Vernor where 30 artists will move in next year…so, yes, there will be another Grand Opening!

And finally, the third way we build community is through community organizing. Our ultimate success is helping people we serve begin to see themselves as a part of the solution. Our greatest hope for enduring, positive change is the collective voice of good neighbors; neighbors that are organized to hold themselves and those with power accountable for creating a strong neighborhood.

I believe that an organized effort that gets people working together is essential to recreate neighborhoods in Detroit and we are excited to be doing this with our partner, the Harriet Tubman Center. You heard from Bryan, how youth are organizing and working with the schools and police to make our community safer. Bryan could tell you there are hundreds of other youth who want to get involved and work together for the benefit of the community.

So how do we build community? We build it in three ways. By providing a comprehensive array of services; by partnering and being vested in the success of others and finally by mobilizing to create a collective voice of residents to address problems in their neighborhood.

We at Southwest have always been led by vision. We see the vision of a vibrant community, where an entrepreneurial spirit is taking root and bringing new businesses, jobs, and ideas.

We are exploring a couple of entrepreneurial ideas ourselves. For example we are looking at starting a loan origination business for a whole host of people who fall outside the new lending practices of banks but who are clearly viable candidates for home ownership.

We’re also looking at a back office administrative support organization for artists and those in construction trades, all of whom have excellent skills in their field but have a hard time with the business part of their venture.

We’re also excited about creating a 20-block walking activity center around the Mercado and linking it to what is going on up and down Vernor Highway and Michigan Avenue.

These are really tough times and there are so many people in need which makes it absolutely imperative that we do our best to insure that there is an adequate safety net. The uniqueness about Southwest Solutions is that not only do we ensure there is a safety net, but we are equally invested in helping to build an economy that will revitalize Detroit.

Southwest Solutions is leading the way – building community, inspiring change. Please consider that when you are asked to make a donation today. We really need your help.

I thank you for joining us this morning. And thank you for partnering with and investing in Southwest Solutions.