Extraordinary Neighbors Program
sponsored by Covenant HealthCare
We want to help make the neighborhood extraordinary and your input matters.
Are you interested in providing input on action plans within your neighborhood? If yes, fill out a quick online form by mid-April, and you can choose to:
- Stay informed of the plan and progress.
- Provide feedback through online surveys, occasional phone calls, etc.
- Apply to be a member of the neighborhood action committee (limited spots available)
We look forward to hearing from you!
I'm Interested
BACKGROUND
Covenant HealthCare, in partnership with the Saginaw County Land Bank Authority, has worked to acquire and rehabilitate vacant properties in areas around the Covenant main campus over the past 15 years.
These efforts have helped to reduce blight stabilize neighborhoods, but there is still work to be done to improve the city’s housing market.
After years of demolition and blight removal, Covenant HealthCare is moving to action to utilize new tools to build stronger neighborhoods around its main campus through new housing options and investing in partnerships with community organizations. The Extraordinary Neighbors Program will work with existing residents to support revitalization of the Covenant neighborhood, utilize new tools to add housing options, and develop programs to assist neighborhood residents address challenges and needs.
A key component of this is the formation of the Extraordinary Neighbors Action Committee (ENAC), which will include neighborhood residents, community leaders, and Covenant employees. Working alongside neighborhood associations, charitable organizations, and philanthropy, ENAC will guide the following activities.
- Neighborhood Engagement: Inform activities that foster community engagement, such as neighborhood clean-up days, block get-togethers, or workshops.
- Partnership Building: Forming partnerships with local businesses, non-profits, and other organizations to provide resources and support for neighborhood projects.
- Advocacy: Advocate for neighborhood priorities and initiatives at a local, state, and even national level. This might include engaging elected officials for funds or policies that support housing development and other neighborhood improvement efforts in the Covenant neighborhood.
- Fundraising: Support fundraising activities to support neighborhood projects. The ENAC will also help identify priorities and direct expenditures.
- Communication: Keeping residents informed about the ENAC’s activities, neighborhood issues, and opportunities for involvement.
- Safety and Security Initiatives: Support initiatives to improve safety and security in the neighborhood, such as setting up neighborhood watch programs or advocating for improved street lighting.
ACTION PLAN
In early 2023, Covenant HealthCare commissioned a Neighborhood Action Plan to revitalize a dormant “Walk-to-Work” program to encourage Covenant employees to move near its main campus. A key focus of the Action Plan was to identify opportunities to improve the physical condition of properties, add quality housing stock, and engage current residents in neighborhood revitalization. The Extraordinary Neighborhood Program will also seek to recognize residents who have stuck through the challenges of the past two decades through the development of home repair and beautification programs will also be offered that will be developed with input from the ENAC.
WHAT WILL THE EXTRAORDINARY NEIGHBORS ACTION COMMITTEE (ENAC) DO?
IDENTIFY NEEDS AND CHALLENGES
While the Action Plan identified several neighborhood needs, additional outreach to neighborhood residents and stakeholders is needed. The ENAC will perform outreach to neighborhood stakeholders to prioritize the needs and challenges to focus on for potential solutions.
WORK WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Covenant is working with existing, on-the-ground partners like Saginaw-Shiawassee Habitat for Humanity to conduct neighborhood engagement, complete critical home repair and construct new homes. The ENAC will build upon existing relationships and create new partnerships for the betterment of our neighborhood.
MEASURE OUTCOMES
The Action Plan established a series of baseline measures (vacant lots, exterior condition of homes, employee survey responses) that will be used to measure future progress. The ENAC will be responsible for regularly reporting on neighborhood outcomes and demonstrating positive progress.
INTERESTED IN BEING INVOLVED?
Are you interested in providing input on action plans within your neighborhood? If yes, fill out a quick online form by mid-April, and you can choose to:
- Stay informed of the plan and progress.
- Provide feedback through online surveys, occasional phone calls, etc.
- Apply to be a member of the neighborhood action committee (limited spots available)
Extraordinary neighbors Revitalizing the Community
Covenant HealthCare knows medical care, and we do it well. But we also strive to be extraordinary neighbors and an extraordinary employer.
“Covenant is working hard to make our community better,” said Beth Charlton, President/CEO. “We know that the health of a community does not rest on medical care alone, it’s about the whole person having their basic needs met, and housing is foundational to all other needs and outcomes. That’s why we’re investing $500,000 each year for the next five years into neighborhood revitalization and are working with our partners on this mission.”
For years, many of our partnerships were focused on the removal of blight to help stabilize neighborhoods. Now, we are excited to be on the revitalization side—utilizing new tools to build stronger neighborhoods through new housing options and investing in partnerships with community organizations.
As part of our commitment to providing extraordinary care for the community, Covenant is proud to partner with Habitat for Humanity in uplifting and revitalizing homes in the Saginaw community, as well as supporting housing options for employees and residents in the neighborhoods surrounding our main campus.
Last month, state and local leaders gathered in the Covenant neighborhood to celebrate newly constructed prefabricated homes that will be available soon and encourage other employers to get involved in helping solve the housing crisis.
Through our “Walk to Work” program, Covenant is proud to continue supporting employees with down payment assistance, renovation assistance, and engaging current residents in neighborhood revitalization. This work is being done in collaboration with Saginaw-Shiawassee Habitat for Humanity and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA).
We are grateful to be part of this community, serving patients in Saginaw since the late 1800s, and look forward to being extraordinary neighbors for generations to come.