Who Gives Free Houses Out?
Back in 2012 urban activists and writers of Detroit gathered and realized that there are apparently not enough bohemians in their city. That is why it was decided to found a special organization, the name of which is now Write-A-House (WAH) and which uses vocational training to renovate old vacant houses and then grants them to low-income writers.
What is WAH’s Goal?
The members of Write-A-House organization confess that their movement has several missions. The first one is to provide youth with useful building and carpentry skills by offering them a vocational education. Secondly, WAH would like to renovate old Detroit houses. Thirdly, this organization is willing to make literary arts of Detroit more vivid by adding some fresh blood to writer’s community and providing newcomers with homes. The most sacred wish of the founders of Write-A-House organization is to build a literary colony in Detroit – but there are lots of steps, that need to be taken before reaching this goal.
Charity, Miracle or Something Else?
The main difference between WAH and typical writer’s residency program lies in actually giving all the houses away. Forever. That means – if a writer wins the right to get a house in Detroit he will never be made to leave it. By getting a place to live he gets himself a home. It surely doesn’t sound like anything real, but it is true anyways. People who do not believe in miracles (and there are more of them among low-income writers, than not) ought to be suspicious about this whole house-giving-away thing. But there comes another explanation: one of the goals of WAH community is to create safe neighborhoods. Writers may be eccentric, but they will surely make the neighborhood more interesting and less dangerous than most people who usually find their shelter in old, left by everyone else, houses.
Anyways, getting yourself a free home in Detroit is definitely worth trying.