Grosse Pointe Park Student Grant (Detroit, Wayne: section 8, apartment, foreclosure)

[Brooxmom]

My daughter is going to be attending WSU for her graduate program. We are trying to figure out how we are going to do everything financially. I read about the Grosse Point Park Student Grant and I think she could qualify. Is that a safe area to live? Right now I'm not seeing many rentals to get a feel for what we could find, but I'm guessing August will bring many more. She has been offered a PT coaching job north of St. Claire, but we need to keep her rent down. She doesn't want to rent with just anyone. She'd rather get her own place and get to know others in the program, then maybe get a roommate later in the year or for her 2nd year.

Any thoughts? Thanks!

[jonnynonos]

Are you asking if Grosse Pointe Park would be a safe place for her to rent an apartment?

[Brooxmom]

Yes.

[belleislerunner]

It's a pefectly safe area to live - but a little more suburban (i.e. boring) than if she got an apartment in Midtown.

[Brooxmom]

Thanks belleislerunner! We looked around Midtown when we were there, but the rent was pretty high.

[jonnynonos]

I'm not overly familiar with the area, as in I haven't lived there or really near it, though I used to hang out in Grosse Pointe fairly regularly. Generally speaking all of the Pointes are extremely safe, including GPP.

Recently long-time residents have been raising the red flag that the city is "changing;" not sure if there is actually substantive change or if it is just the usual kevetching.

Everyone has a different threshold; since you are sending your daughter to Wayne State in the first place I would assume yours is reasonably level-headed. In that context, yes, the Park is probably totally safe.

Statistically there appears to be very little violent crime, if any, though there are some robberies and burglaries.

I guess that area will always be an area people are questioning as it borders the city.

[Brooxmom]

Well, I'm not sending her to Wayne State, but she did get into their DPT program and really liked it when she interviewed. She's on the waiting list at two other schools, but she's leaning toward WSU's program after meeting the staff and seeing the facility. We are from West Michigan and really know nothing about the East side. As a mom, I'd love to keep her closer to home, but she's an adult and needs to make this decision. She's the one committing to a 3 year program.

As I read on this board, I get very mixed reviews about Detroit in general. I just want to help point her in the right direction as far as where to live. The GPP Student Grant is almost too good to be true. I'm not sure how many students apply and how many get in, but it would be a huge help to our family!

[jonnynonos]

If by "mixed reviews" you mean is attending Wayne State dangerous, the answer is pretty much a resounding "no." If by "mixed reviews" you mean will living in and attending college in downtown Detroit for four years be a profoundly different experience than attending college somewhere else, the answer is yes.

You are right that the crowds tend to break down between the cheerleaders and the people who, for whatever nutty reason, just seem to hate the city, most of them having never set foot inside it.

I didn't go to Wayne State but I would say if you spend a few weekends in the area walking around midtown and downtown, you will pretty much get it. What you see is what you get with Detroit, more or less. There are a few other pockets of the city where you find interesting things here or there, but probably not enough to influence one's decision as to the overall experience on the campus.

I googled that Grosse Pointe Park program and it does sound amazing. I don't know the reason for them doing it, but it certainly sounds like a great deal. I would imagine that your daughter would then get access, as a resident, to the city's parks, which are pretty incredible. And that is plenty close to downtown to reach everything you want quickly.

[belleislerunner]

The reason they did the program is because they were concerned when all the homes started going into foreclosure in GPP - it would be an easy target for slumlords to come in and rent them out to Section 8 tenants and a downward spiral of the neighborhood. People who owned homes, would move out, leading to even more rentals which would push property values even lower. This was seen as a way to get "good tenants" into homes, lock them in for a year or two and not prevent a further erosion of the neighborhood. If you google "Cotton family" GPP - there have been quite a few articles in the local newspapers about their redevelopment plans/the rental program going back to 2011. Coming from the westside, GPP will be a more natural fit - because they will have access to Grosse Pointe Parkes - which have some amazing parks (open to residents only) on Lake St. Clair.

[Brooxmom]

Thank you so much for the responses! I've requested more info about the GPP Grant and I'm feeling a bit more informed thanks to you guys! If its approved, I'm sure we'll be looking at spaces there this summer!