The North End Woodward Community Coalition (NEWCC) is a left-of-center group based in greater Detroit that provides services to low-income families, including free internet access, food banks, and solar energy installation. In the past, NEWCC has focused on opposing municipal public transportation policies for not providing enough service to low-income individuals.

NEWCC’s website states that the organization’s values include “inclusion,” “equity,” and “justice (racial, economic, gender, disability, environmental).” ¹

History

In 2007, 15 local community groups began meeting in southeastern Michigan. The following year, they consolidated into the Storehouse of Hope. In 2010, a sub-group within the organization, which would later be known as the North End Woodward Community Coalition, was formed to discuss transit issues. Over the following years, the Storehouse supported campaigns for the M1 Light Rail, a proposed transit system for metro Detroit that included reducing bus routes. The M1 Light Rail eventually became the QLine, a streetcar system Storehouse opposed. ^{2 3 4}

In 2012, the NEWCC filed a civil rights complaint against the Detroit Department of Transportation on the grounds that bus line cuts came without proper notice or public hearings. Allegedly, the cuts disproportionately impacted low-income Detroiters. ⁵

In 2013, the Storehouse, then a group under the NEWCC parent group, led a seven-day protest against the QLine. Later in the year, NEWCC members formed the Equitable Detroit Coalition which helped pass Detroit’s Community Benefit Agreement Ordinance, a set of regulations on tax-funded development projects. ⁶

In 2014, NEWCC gained broadcast approval for its own radio station in the United States and Canada. The station began construction the following year and started broadcasting in 2017. ⁷

Activity

Solar Energy

The North End Woodward Community Coalition supports the adoption of solar energy in the Detroit metro area, and aims to help 1,000 low-income homes get solar panels by 2024. ⁸

As of August 2023, NEWCC is building a Solar Steward program to train “neighborhood leaders” in solar installation. ⁹

NEWCC also runs solar cell-phone charging stations through Detroit. ¹⁰

Community Land Trust

In 2015, NEWCC established Detroit’s first Community Land Trust (CLT), a nonprofit steward of low-income housing. CLT purchases delinquent homes and maintains them for low-income owners at below-market rents. CLT has also built solar panels on its homes. ^{11 12}

Equitable Internet Initiative

NEWCC’s Equitable Internet Initiative expands internet access to three low-income neighborhoods, and currently serves 500 households and 14 businesses. ¹³

NEWCC executive director Joan Ross has referred to the disparity in internet access between wealthy and poor Detroit residents as “digital redlining.” ¹⁴

Storehouse of Hope

The Storehouse of Hope, the origin of NEWCC, presently operates a foodbank program. As of 2023, 3,000 individuals were served monthly. ¹⁵

WNUC

NEWCC runs WNUC, a radio station dedicated to local news, sports, and entertainment. ¹⁶

TeMaTe Institute for Black Dance and Culture

The TeMaTe Institute for Black Dance and Culture is a fiscally sponsored project of NEWCC. ¹⁷

Controversies

In 2015, Storehouse of Hope purchased a house in Wayne County on behalf of the North End Woodward Community Coalition’s Community Land Trust (CLT) at a foreclosure auction after the former occupant, Geraldine Smith-Bey, lost her home over a $1,211 delinquent tax bill. Smith-Bey was permitted to stay in her home under CLT’s management; however, Smith-Bey claimed that the CLT failed to abide by its commitments by failing to make repairs, eventually leading to a black mold problem and a collapsing porch. In 2021, the home was given 54 blight violations, resulting in a $21,550 fine. ¹⁸

In response to the CLT’s conduct, Smith-Bey refused to pay rent until she was evicted in 2018. Smith-Bey then gained assistance from Detroit Eviction Defense, the Charlevoix Villages Association, and Detroit Will Breathe, which ran a public campaign demanding the return of Smith-Bey’s former home to her possession. In July 2021, protesters picketed outside NEWCC’s office. Soon after, NEWCC sold the house to Smith-Bey for $14,200. ¹⁹

Funding

In 2023, the North End Woodward Community Coalition received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. ²⁰

In 2021, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation donated $750,000 to NEWCC to expand its Equitable Internet Initiative. ²¹

NEWCC has received funding from the Honnold Foundation for its solar power projects. ²²

Since 2018, the NEWCC has received three grants totaling $550,000 from the Ford Foundation. ²³

NEWCC has received funding from the Kresge Foundation. ²⁴

1. “Our Mission.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/about/our-mission/.
2. “History.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/about/history/.
3. Endyke, Caitlin; Thomas-Breitfeld, Sean. “Breakfast in Detroit.” Open Democracy. July 5, 2013. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/transformation/breakfast-in-detroit/.
4. Dean, Tamara. “The Birth of a Station: Low Power Radio Brings Real Power to Detroit Neighborhood.” The Progressive Magazine. May 18, 2017. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://progressive.org/latest/the-birth-of-a-station-low-power-radio-brings-real-power-to-/.
5. Sands, David. “Detroit Bus Cuts: Community Coalition Files Civil Rights Complaint With Justice Department.” Huffington Post. May 9, 2012. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/detroit-bus-cuts-civil-rights-complaing_n_1502884.
6. “History.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/about/history/.
7. “History.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/about/history/.
8. “Learn About Solar.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/get-involved/become-a-solar-steward/.
9. “Learn About Solar.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/get-involved/become-a-solar-steward/.
10. “An Update from NEWCC.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.honnoldfoundation.org/news/updatefromnewcc.
11. “Board of Directors.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/board-of-directors/.
12. Mondry, Aaron. “Yearslong struggle with community land trust ends in homeownership for Detroiter.” Outlier Media. September 29, 2021. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://outliermedia.org/years-long-struggle-with-community-land-trust-ends-in-homeownership-for-detroiter/.
13. “Equitable Internet Initiative.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/our-work/equitable-internet-initiative-eii/.
14. “Detroit community organizations installing neighborhood WiFi.” WXYZ. November 17, 2021. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.wxyz.com/news/national/two-americas/detroit-community-organizations-installing-neighborhood-wifi.
15. “Storehouse of Hope and Community Land Trust.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/our-work/storehouse-of-hope-and-storehouse-of-hope-community-land-trust/.
16. “WNUC.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://mynewcc.org/our-work/wnuc/.
17. Johncox. Cassidy. “$500K in grants given to arts and culture organizations across SE Michigan.” Click On Detroit. December 20, 2022. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2022/12/20/500k-in-grants-given-to-arts-and-culture-organizations-across-se-michigan/.
18. Mondry, Aaron. “Yearslong struggle with community land trust ends in homeownership for Detroiter.” Outlier Media. September 29, 2021. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://outliermedia.org/years-long-struggle-with-community-land-trust-ends-in-homeownership-for-detroiter/.
19. Mondry, Aaron. “Yearslong struggle with community land trust ends in homeownership for Detroiter.” Outlier Media. September 29, 2021. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://outliermedia.org/years-long-struggle-with-community-land-trust-ends-in-homeownership-for-detroiter/.
20. “Energy Facts: Impact of the Investing in America Agenda on Detroit, Michigan.” Energy.gov. June 19, 2023. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-facts-impact-investing-america-agenda-detroit-michigan.
21. Marini, Miriam. “Knight Foundation grants $750K to Detroit’s north end for household internet service.” Detroit Free Press. October 29, 2021. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2021/10/29/knight-foundation-detroit-internet-access/6197954001/.
22. “An Update from NEWCC.” NEWCC. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.honnoldfoundation.org/news/updatefromnewcc
23. “Grants Database.” Ford Foundation. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/?search=North+End+Woodward.
24. “Detroit nonprofits serving BIPOC communities to share $11 million in operating support.” The Kresge Foundation. April 21, 2021. Accessed August 23, 2023. https://kresge.org/news-views/detroit-nonprofits-serving-bipoc-communities-to-share-11-million-in-operating-support/.