For 45 years, Dwelling Place has been a source of stability and transformation in Grand Rapids’ Heartside neighborhood. The nonprofit, which develops and manages affordable housing, is marking this milestone by sharing the powerful, personal moments that define its impact, not only for the residents it serves, but also for the people who serve them.
From property managers to coordinators to residents, every team member at Dwelling Place has a story to tell moments where mission met meaning. These are some of those moments we gathered recently and from the book, “The Story of Dwelling Place, Our First 40 Years: 1980-2020.”
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Lisa Rypma, property manager:
“While working at West Shore Apartments, I helped move in a single mother who was just days away from giving birth. Making sure she had a roof over her head was critical, and I was able to make it happen. I later got to meet her baby and watched her grow into a toddler.
As a property manager, I get to impact so many lives, both big and small, because of what Dwelling Place does for low-income communities. There’s nothing more rewarding than watching a family succeed from the very beginning—and seeing that success blossom over time.”
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Crystal Cunningham, resident services coordinator:
“There are countless moments that stay with me. One in particular was at Verne Barry Place, shortly after I started working at Dwelling Place. I met a resident who had lived there since 2008, back when the building was still the Village Inn.
“He shared that ending up at Dwelling Place had saved his life. At age 16, he was sent to prison for being a lookout during a robbery that turned violent. After his release, he lived in alleys, behind dumpsters, often having to fight to survive. He told me this place gave him the first real safety he had known in years.
“That day, he needed to talk—and I needed to listen. It was a moment that reminded me why I do this work.”
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Max Maxon, staff member:
“My lightbulb moment came from how Dwelling Place treats its people—with genuine care. I’ve heard things like, ‘Take care of your family. Family matters.’ I’ve been supported when I needed to work from home or bring my kids to the office.
“Most companies say they care. At Dwelling Place, I feel it. I see it.”
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Jessie McCormick, grants and development coordinator:
“My moment happened during a front desk shift. A man, clearly distressed, came in and asked for our intake coordinator. There had been a scheduling mix-up, and he was frustrated. Right away, I could see it wasn’t personal—it was the weight of years of struggle.
“JR had been living in a park, without income or regular bus fare. He’d tried for four years to get housing. His tent had just been robbed. We sat in that frustration together. I listened. I validated his experience. I printed him a meeting confirmation and had him sign the referral form so we could keep moving forward.
“Three weeks later, I saw our team carrying a Welcome Home basket. It was for JR. After four years of trying, he had finally found a home. I don’t know if he knows how hard I was rooting for him, but I’m so proud to call him a neighbor now.”
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Latrisha Sosebee, manager of community building and engagement:
“In the 1990s, Dwelling Place opened a grocery store in Heartside because the neighborhood needed one. Residents even worked at the store. It was rooted in the community in every way.
“It wasn’t a long-term success. Maybe running a grocery store wasn’t our strength. But it showed something important: Dwelling Place isn’t afraid to think creatively or take risks to serve people. That boldness to try, to collaborate, to dream, is what continues to inspire me.”
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Jane Vander Ploeg, an original board member for Dwelling Place:
“It was in my blood to be a builder, church connector, and educator; my response to the turmoil of the '60s was to become a proactive community developer. My love was getting to know the people and creating resident groups, the sort of things the [Dwelling Place] is still doing.”
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Denny Sturtevant, Dwelling Place’s first CEO, 1989-2021
“The evolution of Dwelling Place, from focusing first and primarily on housing, to adding support services, to adding neighborhood revitalization, community building, and engagement work, is an evolution of understanding people and all their different needs.”
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Alonda Trammel, chief program officer for Dwelling Place
“I think it helps residents to know there is someone who has their back. The greatest gift you can give anyone is the tools to manage their own life.
“[Our] resident service coordinators help people navigate through systems. Many of those systems have destroyed the families our residents come from ... so people do not trust those systems, so we step in and support them. It’s powerful when you can walk alongside someone and advocate for them.”
Tommie Wallace, longtime resident and community volunteer, artist, and advocate
“I’d heard so much about Dwelling Place from a cousin that I got an application and fell in love – there had to be a convenience store, a library I could walk to, and a close bus stop. I’ve got it all.”
“Wherever I go, I work for the community. Volunteering and giving to my community stems from my early days and my drug addiction, and an older cousin who was always giving back. … I’m here to do God’s work.”
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Lorraine Wilson, a resident of Reflections, a Dwelling Place housing community for seniors
“I like growing stuff. Mom had gardens since I was a little kid. She grew a lot of stuff, but mostly it was greens, that’s all I remember.”
Her mother, Beatrice, also a resident of Reflections, was one of the first residents to receive a garden plot when MSU Extension built 12 raised beds at Reflections in 2010. Now Wilson and her sister, Bertha, have garden plots.
“This way it makes me feel: happy, excited. Being outside is calming. It’s like therapy; serene, pleasant. Birds are singing, the sun is shining, and the breeze is blowing. Where we’re outside in the garden, we talk, visit, socialize.”
Photos courtesy of Dwelling Place
This story series is made possible through the support of Dwelling Place, a nonprofit housing leader committed to building inclusive, resilient communities. Through this partnership, Rapid Growth Media explores how local solutions to housing, equitable access, and creative placemaking can shape broader national conversations from West Michigan.