Open Doors Receives $400,000 Gift to Expand Residence Community

Open Doors has received a $400,000 gift from an anonymous source to expand their Residence Community for Working People.

Open Doors will purchase and rehabilitate Cooper Apartments in Kalamazoo.  With the purchase, Open Doors will add an additional 27 apartments to its 44 unit Residence Community.

“We are so thrilled and grateful to be able to expand this program.  Not only can we provide affordable housing to more low-wage workers in our community, we can now serve more families,” states Rick Stravers, Executive Director of Open Doors.

Open Doors started in 1970 as a drop-in center for the homeless.  It now has two residential self-help shelters and multiple homes and buildings around downtown for its Residence Community.

“We receive frequent calls from families that rely on minimum wages to get by and cannot afford adequate housing.  Until now, we have only been able to accommodate a few families with our one-bedroom units.  Cooper Apartments has 12 one-bedroom apartments and 10 two-bedroom apartments and will allow us to assist more families with decent housing and support,” says Stravers.

Currently, Open Doors has 50 people in its Residence Community.  “We anticipate the number of people we serve in the Residence Community basically doubling this year.  With this expansion, we will also need to increase our philanthropy for more flexibility in future programming,” states Sarah Bricknell, Open Doors’ Development Director.

Last year, the average Open Doors’ household earned $943 per month.  Open Doors charges between $200 and $350 a month for program fees in the Residence Community.  The 501(c)(3) non-profit subsidizes shelter and support costs with donations from individuals and faith-based groups, as well as grants from local foundations and the City of Kalamazoo.

The Residence Community for Working People provides rooms, studios and small apartments for low-wage workers priced out of the housing market.  In the Residence Community, low-wage workers obtain housing at affordable rates and receive personal support for maintaining health and stability.  Additionally, Open Doors’ two residential self-help programs provide homeless men and women with housing and support as they seek and find employment, save for future housing, and address personal obstacles to stability.

For more information, please contact Sarah Bricknell, Development Director at 269-343-6064 or at sbricknell@OpenDoorsKalamazoo.org.