Community Development
Strong neighborhoods form the foundation that lifts the entire community.
Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley is committed to serving more families by responding to community aspirations with an expanded array of products, services and partnerships with the mission of empowering residents to revive their neighborhoods and enhance their quality of life.
Pictured left: Four volunteers working at the West Willow Neighborhood Community Center. Pictured right: A map of the three partner neighborhoods served by Habitat’s Community Development Program, Gault Village. Sugarbrook and West Willow.
partner neighborhoods
Our neighborhood revitalization efforts are focused in the Gault Village, West Willow and Sugarbrook neighborhoods of Ypsilanti Township. Using the Quality of Life Framework as a guide, we work alongside residents, neighborhood groups and associations to guide a long-term participatory neighborhood planning process. Residents are engaged through door-to-door surveying, community-wide meetings and events.
Community Partnerships
Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley partners with residents, organizations, government, and businesses in Ypsilanti Township neighborhoods to strengthen communities through long-term resident-led initiatives.
Since starting our comprehensive Community Development work in 2012, Habitat has worked alongside residents on youth engagement, neighborhood safety, public amenity improvements, strengthening neighbor relationships, intergenerational wealth building, healthy food access, repealing racially restrictive covenants, public amenity creation/building, communications, neighborhood beautification, and much more.
Habitat strengthens neighborhoods through coordinated community investment and cross‑sector collaboration to foster long‑term community stability and resident well‑being. This is done through local government partnerships, affordable housing and housing stability partnerships, infrastructure, economic development and systems partnerships, health, education, and community well-being partnerships, and neighborhood-based and resident-led partnerships.
Neighborhood activities
Activities are direct results of input from neighborhood residents and include neighborhood picnics, neighborhood clean-ups, plant sales, park improvements, safety initiatives, Little Free Libraries, community center upgrades, fence replacement and senior-focused programming.
What does success look like?
Our goal in each neighborhood is to provide opportunities for residents to come together and participate in both celebrating what make their neighborhood unique and making positive changes along the way. In addition to building community, the neighborhood planning process allows for residents to identify the unique assets and work towards the ultimate outcome of improving the quality of life in their neighborhoods.
strengthening communities
Every year, Habitat dedicates three days to uniting community partners and Habitat for hands-on neighborhood revitalization that brings volunteers, residents, and local partners together to complete exterior home repairs and community clean-up projects for our partner neighborhoods. Learn More.
Collaboratives
Habitat partnered with the New West Willow Neighborhood Association, West Willow residents, the University of Michigan Law School Civil Rights Litigation Initiative, and Justice InDeed to bring awareness to racially restrictive and discriminatory language in the original neighborhood covenant that still exists today on over 340 homes in the West Willow subdivision in Ypsilanti. Together, we held informational sessions, sent mailings, and canvassed homes to gather signatures in order to amend the covenant to repeal the racist wording and add language that reflects the inclusive and welcoming values of the neighborhood today.
In 2025, Habitat led a partnership with the New West Willow Neighborhood Association (NWWNA), Odindi Youth Action Village (OYA), the Charter Township of Ypsilanti and West Willow through grant funding from Republic Services to add some upgrades to West Willow Park, located in the center of the neighborhood. The activities support the resident-requested improvements at the park, which included adding paved, ADA accessible parking spaces, a half-sized basketball court for younger-aged youth, soccer goals, shaded seating areas, stretching and exercise stations along the paved walking path, trash and recycling receptacles, and upgraded signage. Additional projects included adding a water spigot at the West Willow Community Garden, located near the park, for easier access to water for this resident-managed garden.
Other Resources
United Way of Washtenaw County offers a 2-1-1 helpline to assist with food, housing, financial assistance, utility assistance and more. Click here to connect or learn more.