Our Work
LISC Kalamazoo is committed to building communitiesthat offer the positive environments needed to ensure that all residents of any income level are provided the opportunities and tools to build assets, to participate in the beneifts of their communities, and to become part of the mainstream economy.
We are calling these places Sustainable Communities. They are, in effect, the embodiment of both “community” and “development” — places where human opportunity and social and economic viality combine with a continuous process of growth, adaptation, and improvement. We envision Sustainable Communities as places that people want to be in, contribute to, thrive in, and be proud of. Sustainable Communities are good places to live, do business, work, worship, and raise families.
LISC Kalamazoo is focusing its investments on five core program objectives that, taken together, can lead to this larger goal.
- Expanding Investment in Housing and Other Real Estate
- Increasing Family Income and Wealth
- Stimulating Economic Development
- Placing AmeriCorps Members with our partners
- Supporting Healthy and Safe Environments and Lifestyles
What We Do
LISC Kalamazoo takes a comprehensive approach to community development that addresses six keys to creating a sustainable community for those who live and work in underserved neighborhoods:
- Expanding investment in housing and other real estate
- Increasing family income and wealth
- Stimulating local and regional economic activity
- Improving access to quality education
- Fostering livable, safe and healthy environments
- Strengthening community leadership and engagement
- As part of our mission to help residents and community-based development organizations transform distressed communities into healthy sustainable ones, LISC takes a multi-pronged approach focusing on key levers to impact communities and families.