Menu
Many people in Oakland County work full-time jobs and still struggle to afford the high cost of living here. Building upon five decades of collaboration with community leaders, partner agencies, and government officials, Lighthouse has created a sustainable and lasting solution.
Our vision is to expand our campus in Pontiac and create a one-stop shop for Oakland County residents in need. Key features include a Housing Opportunity Center, Social Supermarket, Economic Opportunity Center, Community Event Spaces, Café, Community Development Capital Fund, Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs, and more.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at each of these impactful programs. We have launched a $40 million campaign to raise the funds needed to implement these lasting solutions.
Through our Housing Opportunity Center, Lighthouse will provide interim housing in private quarters and supportive services to quickly move families with children from homelessness into a place to call home.
Your support for Lighting the Way will help permanently increase our short-term sheltering capacity from 30 to 159 beds, to serve an estimated 600 people each year in a more dignified way.
You will also help increase Oakland County’s emergency shelter capacity from 172 to 331 beds, increasing the number of individuals served from 1,000 to 1,700.
We’ll build and operate a Social Supermarket, where residents can shop without cost for the items they need, while connecting with an onsite social worker who can help individuals access additional stabilization services. Residents will be able to select the food they prefer rather than receiving a box of preselected items, providing dignified access to food.
Your support for Lighting the Way will help address hunger for almost 150,000 Oakland County residents, including 29,210 children under age 18.
The social supermarket will replace the current food pantry at Lighthouse’s headquarters in Pontiac, centralize distribution with a new onsite warehouse, and further leverage the power of our partners to procure and deliver food where it is needed most in the community.
Our plan includes an Economic Opportunity Center, where anyone in need can connect to onsite social workers providing supportive services to access basic needs, housing and homeownership resources, and economic mobility services. The center will service Lighthouse clients and the community at large, providing the expertise of diverse community partners.
The Economic Opportunity Center will increase community access to resources such as employment, income, and financial coaching services, utility and eviction prevention assistance, mental and physical health services and referrals, meal and grocery assistance, help securing cell phones, clothing, and household items, and access to a computer lab and printing.
Through onsite services and community outreach, we estimate impacting more than 1,500 individuals per year through the Economic Opportunity Center.
The redeveloped campus will feature two distinct community spaces to serve Lighthouse clients and the community. Building a trusting and supportive environment requires multi-purpose spaces where people can come together to connect formally and informally.
The Community Dining Center inside the Family Opportunity building will provide a space where congregations and other community groups can volunteer to prepare and serve meals, host events, and support other activities for the benefits of our clients.
The Community Cafe is an exciting addition to the campus. With indoor and outdoor seating, the café will be a friendly go-to place for coffee, food, and community connection. The cafe will also serve as a workforce training opportunity through Lighthouse’s Economic Opportunity Center.
Lighthouse will also redesign its office to create a comfortable and collaborative environment to foster teamwork and support organizational growth.
Lack of affordable housing has become an increasingly serious problem nationwide, and Michigan is no exception. According to the Resilient Homes Michigan coalition, Michigan is short 203,000 affordable housing units statewide. Homeownership is key to building equity and accumulating generational wealth over time. Our Community Development Capital Fund will increase access to affordable housing in Oakland County, help more individuals and families become homeowners, create a lending product geared towards individuals and families who may not qualify for traditional mortgages, and much more.
Your investment in Lighting the Way will help Lighthouse build more affordable housing and help individuals and families become homeowners by implementing supportive programs that equip, empower and enable individuals to purchase and maintain a home.
In Pontiac, Lighthouse operates 286 affordable rental apartment units, single family homes, and duplexes. Currently, Lighthouse has 271 new affordable units under development in Oakland and Wayne Counties.
In February 2023, Lighthouse assumed operations of three runaway and homeless youth programs previously operated by Common Ground: Sanctuary, A Step Forward, and Graduated Apartment Program (GAP). Had Lighthouse not stepped in, these programs would have ceased operations in Oakland County.
As part of the campaign, Lighthouse will purchase and improve the Sanctuary building in Royal Oak. Providing interim housing solutions for unaccompanied youth ages 10-24, the programs can operate and invest in more outreach programs to preserve and strengthen Oakland County’s only continuum of youth homelessness services.
During the 2022-23 School Year, Oakland County Schools identified 2,500 students without a stable fixed address. Of these students, 1,453 are homeless and the remaining 1,047 are living “doubled up” with another family or couch surfing. This represents a 13% increase from the previous school year.
Lighthouse’s Runaway and Homeless Youth programs serve 150 youth annually, of whom 39% report a physical and/or mental health condition, 29% report a history of domestic violence, and 40% identify as LGBTQIA+ and have faced family rejection.
46156 Woodward Avenue
Pontiac, MI 48342
248-920-6000
Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church
6805 Bluegrass Drive
Clarkston, MI
Pontiac, MI 48342
248-920-6000 x3300
