Miracle On Ashley Street

NOVEMBER 17

Miracle on Ashley Street
by Ken Garner 

ANN ARBOR- The fourth day of the occupation of 337 S. Ashley dawns as the first real day of winter. A thick cap of snow clings to the roof of the two-and-a-half story clapboardhouse, and wind stirs up white clouds on the front lawn and in the now-infamous Kline's parking lot next door. While previously homeless residents of the house and their friends hope to block the parking structure scheduled to go up there next spring, surviving the winter will be the first challenge.

"We hope to have the electricity on by the end of the day," says a city shelter resident named Bob, who is at the house for the first time. So far warmth has been provided by a single propane heater in the living room, but residents now plan to hook up electric space heaters. Eventually they hope to repair a broken water main and restore the house's steam heating system.

Why did people occupy the house? "They were going to tear this down to make a parking

(see MIRACLE, page 6)

(MIRACLE, from page 1) structure," says Bob. "There are enough parking structures in this town. All we want is a fair shake-low income housing."

Another homeless person present is To. "I make $30 a day as a part-time dishwasher, and I've been living at the shelter since 1985," he says quietly. "I just came down here to see what it was like."

One woman is here to arrange for a friend - an older woman who has been sleeping outdoors since the spring - to move into the house. "She refuses to stay at the shelter because she' s from another generation and doesn't like the idea of accepting charity," she says. "But this is different."

What makes 337 S. Ashley unique - for Arm Arbor - is that homeless people themselves are taking charge of turning what until now has been an abandoned house slated for demolition into a viable home. At the same time, they and their friends in the Homeless Action Committee (HAC) aim to send a clear message to City Hall that low-cost housing must become a priority.

Around noon Renuka Uthappa arrives, bringing hot coffee, donuts and oatmeal. Utthapa, a 1989 U-M graduate, has been working with HAC almost since its founding two years ago, and helped plan the occupation.

"This house is for us to organize out of and for people to stay," says Uthappa, who greets everyone warmly with hugs and handshakes. She is brimming with enthusiasm despite the miserable weather outside and the persistent chili inside. Uthappa has been sleeping at the house every night, together with about a dozen others. "We've all become completely attached to this house," she says.

The house appears to be in surprisingly good shape; except for a few missing ceiling tiles in the kitchen and some scattered cobwebs, it doesn't look any different from the typical off-campus student residence. Fine wood trim around the doors and windows, a tile fireplace and several stained glass windows give it a sense of pronounced - if somewhat neglected - elegance.

To everyone's surprise and delight, the house's owners have given HAC permission to remain here. "I guess I believe in miracles now," says HAC activist Earl Uomoto.

Presently, HAC needs to raise funds so that the house can be made completely habitable. If HAC succeeds, and if it also manages to stop the house's demolition, it will provide a powerful symbol of self-help for Ann Arbor's homeless. But the real work is only beginning. Says Uthappa, "We need a lot of mutual support to feed the people who are going to stay here." Donations can be sent to the Homeless Action Committee, 337 S. Ashley, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 or dropped off at the same address.