With Gratitude Spotlight | Detroit, MI: House of Providence | Fort Worth, TX Photographer

Shortly after I decided to turn my little photography side business into a full-time career, I felt a little tugging in my prayer time to use my equipment, time and craft to showcase ordinary people who are doing amazing things.  I knew immediately that I wanted to have a “With Gratitude” section of my website, as my way of saying thank you to these people who are making our world a better place.   Almost as quickly as the idea came to me – I knew who the first featured subject would be.  But for reasons that were out of my control, I had to wait before showcasing the amazing work and efforts of this ministry.   I am very pleased to say, that late last year, it was time to photograph the amazing transformation of 2 buildings that now proudly wear the label:  House of Providence.

House of Providence (HOP) is answering the cry of many pre-teen and teenage girls waiting for a safe place to call home.  Located in one of the roughest neighborhoods in Detroit, 2 buildings stand as a beacon of hope in a broken city.  Here, girls ages 11-18 will find refuge, love, education, encouragement, safety and most of all… family.

Founders, Jay and Maggie Dunn, have been proactively involved in the foster care system for almost 20 years.  Jay, a Pastor and Youth Pastor for many years, grew up in a town dominated by drugs and poverty.  Maggie, grew up in a loving home filled with children, most of whom flocked there as a place of refuge and healing.  Together, Jay and Maggie are a dynamic team with a singular vision:  to rescue and reclaim children who have been overlooked, abused, neglected and mistreated.  It is their passion, commitment and mission to see each parentless child:  Redeemed.  Healed… and set free.

For those of you who have seen the movie “8 Mile” – then you’ve got a mental glimpse of what the surrounding area looks like.  I documented the drive down Gratiot Avenue from behind the car windows.  I knew that telling the work of HOP wouldn’t hold as much weight  without seeing the plight for yourselves.  For if you are anything like me, it is one thing to hear of need.  It’s another thing altogether to see it.

As you scroll through these images, please keep in mind:  this is where people live.  Where children are born, then often left to their own devices.
To fend for themselves, eating from trash cans… doing whatever they can to survive.
It is filled with crime, pimps, prostitution, drugs and mental illness.
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This is a real place.
A place that many call “home.”

Businesses, such as these, are the thriving survivors.

Play Ground.

Do not cross.

Students once took art classes in these halls.  Now, graffiti is the art form of choice.

Neighborhoods once grand and stately.  Now, send the resounding message:  do not enter.

The Heidelberg Project is right next door to House of Providence.  Tyree Guyton*, Artistic Director/Founder, uses everyday
discarded objects to artfully communicate hope, life and the need for revitalization in urban Detroit. (*from The Heidelberg Project website.)

Up until this point, all the proceeding images were taken through car windows.
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Welcome home.  Love resides here.

The gorgeous flooring and supplies were donated and installed by Metro-Detroit businesses.

This is where the healing begins.

Thank you, House of Providence Sponsors and Volunteers.

For children who have never had a family.  A well-balanced meal.  A warm place to stay… this is their kitchen table.

The message is everywhere:  Transformation.  Happens.  Here.

When is a commode worth photographing?  When a chandelier hangs above it!
Now I lay me, down to sleep.
Each and every room was renovated, furnished and decorated by volunteers.

When each girl graduates the program at age 18, she is given linens, bedding and all of her supplies.

Every little girl should wake up and see some beauty.

The girls not only live here, they go to school here.  Many of the girls arrive at HOP with little to no education.
Here, the girls are taught using a specialized and individualized curriculum that meets them at the point of their need.  Wow.  Imagine that.

In this space, the girls become family to one another.  They share stories.  Their pictures will hang on these walls.
A new chapter has begun.

Where’s Waldo?
Yes, I do try and sneak into at least one or two photos;).

Maggie Dunn surveys the landscape next to House of Providence.

Pointing to where arson had recently taken place.   A church building once stood right next door.

View from the top.
Prayer + action = change.
Be the change you want to see.

Every life has purpose.  Value.  Meaning.  And is worth redeeming.
Jay and Maggie Dunn have 7 children.  5 have been adopted.  They truly live what they believe.

Through House of Providence, they are rescuing as many children from the streets of Detroit as they can.
For more information, or to learn how you can help… visit this page or call 313-579-1825.
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To the Dunn family, all of the Sponsors, Volunteers and Friends of House of Providence:  thank you for giving of yourselves to benefit others.
You are an example and inspiration to us all.
(And I can’t wait to photograph the next House of Providence Campus.)

With Gratitude,
Kate