By: Deborah Johnson Wood
In the heart of Grand Rapids’ downtown 44 new apartments are taking shape along South Division Avenue, and all are earmarked as affordable housing for homeless people with disabilities.
The new Verne Barry Place was once the Dwelling Place Inn, a building with 88 small bedrooms — no kitchens and shared bathrooms down the hall — for the city’s homeless. Before that, the place was the The Kenwood, The Brunswick, and The Carlton rooming houses, generously referred to as "hotels."
The residences now bear the name Verne Barry Place, named after a New York entrepreneur who became homeless in Grand Rapids. A friend recognized Barry's entrepreneurial talents and helped him get back on his feet.
"Verne Barry lived and worked in Heartside for about 20 years," says Jarrett DeWyse of Dwelling Place, the developer of Verne Barry Place. "He started Faith Incorporated, an employment service for the homeless in the Heartside area, and even became chair of the Downtown Development Authority, a real important link for area homeless. Verne died right about the time we began the building renovations, and we thought developing the facility as a place for the homeless to live and work was a great way to honor him."
The old buildings and a new addition offer 44 small units with kitchenettes and bathrooms, indoor parking levels, additional live/work spaces, and some 13,000 square feet of common space.
Dwelling Place will manage the $19 million development, called supportive housing, giving residents "as much independence as they can handle and as much support as they need, with two full time resident service coordinators who help them with whatever they need to stay permanently housed," DeWyse says.
The units will be available after June 13.
Source: Jarrett DeWyse, Dwelling Place
Photo by Brian Kelly
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Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at
[email protected].
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