About Us

The Hub

Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation (BPNDC) opened the Community Resilience Hub aka "The Hub", in 2020 during the height of the pandemic to distribute PPE, cleaning supplies, and other essential products and information to McDougall-Hunt residents. It quickly became a gathering spot for residents and visitors. The expansive open space of the adjoining lots became the perfect space for many of the annual events McDougall-Hunt residents and BPNDC community members love, such as Celebrating Fathers & Freedom, Halloween at the Hub, and The Good Old Days neighborhood reunion.

As community needs evolved, the Hub expanded its services to become a community resilience hub, offering a wide array of services to meet the needs of residents. Today, the Hub is the nerve center of BPNDC's programs, housing the Innovation Lab, teleconference suites, and meeting areas.

The BPNDC Community Resiliency Hub serves not only McDougall-Hunt residents but any resident of Detroit, Hamtramck or Highland Park. The Hub provides essential resources such as food, PPE, and basic needs assistance. Additionally, it offers workforce training, youth programming, and senior programming. These services aim to address immediate needs while also fostering long-term resilience within the community.

The transition of the Hub into a community resilience center represents a significant step forward for BPNDC and the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood. By expanding services and outreach, the Hub is poised to become a central hub for community engagement and support. Through its multifaceted approach, the Hub is not only meeting current needs but also laying the foundation for a stronger, more resilient community in the future.

The Bailey Park Resilience Hub provides various services tailored to meet the community's specific needs. Services include:

Food Assistance: Distributing food to those in need, this includes a food pantry, hot plate meal programs, and partnerships with Gleaners and Eastern Market.
Emergency Supplies: Providing essential items such as personal protective equipment (PPE), hygiene products, and emergency kits.
Health Services: Offering health screenings, vaccinations, and access to telehealth services.
Housing Assistance: Providing information and resources for home repair, rehabbing homes and assistance with the Hope Property Tax Exemption application as well as referrals to homeless services.
Workforce Development: Offering job training programs, resume building workshops, and access to job listings.
Financial Assistance: Providing financial literacy education, assistance with utility bills, and access to financial resources.
Educational Support: Offering tutoring services, after-school programs, and access to educational resources and technology.
Community Engagement: Organizing community events, workshops, and activities to promote social cohesion and resilience.
Crisis Counseling: Providing mental health support, counseling services, and referrals to mental health professionals.
Legal Assistance: Providing legal advice, assistance with navigating legal processes, and referrals to legal aid services.
Disaster Preparedness: Offering training, resources, and information on how to prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters.

These services help strengthen the community's ability to withstand and recover from challenges, build resilience, and foster a sense of community support and solidarity.

The Park

Bailey Park NDC’s centerpiece project is Bailey Park, as parks play a vital role in promoting the health and wellness of communities. Bailey Park (BP) is a multigenerational recreational space at the heart of the MDH neighborhood. Up until June of 2019, the MDH neighborhood was considered to be park-poor. With the installation of a new playground on BP, neighbors and visitors can now access a safe, high-quality outdoor space where children of all abilities can play, and MDH is no longer considered park-poor.

In the neighborhood’s 2018 Sustainable Redevelopment Plan (SRP), residents articulated the following as top priorities for the neighborhood: safety, preservation of McDougall-Hunt’s history, building neighborhood capacity, neighborhood beautification, increased accessibility and connectivity, well-designed green and blue infrastructure and recreation. The community’s vision as articulated in the SRP includes a neighborhood “Where parks, recreation, and community centers serve as strengthening forces to improve community perception and fuel neighborhood investment.”

Bailey Park NDC has secured significant funding for its park development initiatives, marking a series of successes since 2018. The Cedar Tree Foundation awarded Bailey Park NDC its first grant in 2018, supporting ongoing park maintenance efforts. In 2019, Bailey Park received a Kaboom Playground through a community build, further enhancing the park's amenities.

Continuing its momentum, Bailey Park NDC received a planning grant from Kresge Innovative Projects Detroit in 2019. This grant facilitated the completion of architectural, design, and landscaping plans for Bailey Park. The resulting 2020 Master Plan was the product of extensive community engagement, incorporating storytelling, professional planning strategies, and innovative design concepts to transform abandoned land into a source of pride reflecting McDougall-Hunt's history and heritage.

Building on these achievements, Bailey Park NDC secured its first implementation grant from the Kresge Foundation Kip-D 6 Detroit in 2021, initiating phase I of its development. Subsequently, in 2023, the organization received its second implementation grant from the Kresge Foundation Kip-D 8, enabling the completion of phase II. Additionally, funding from the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan in 2023 will facilitate the purchase and installation of shade sails and park benches, enhancing the park's play area and amenities. Bailey Park NDC also received two Beautification grants from the City of Detroit to enhance the Hunt Street and Elmwood lots, respectively.

The Bailey Park Historical Arts Alleyway is a captivating journey through history, art, and the essence of place-making within the McDougall-Hunt neighborhood. The Bailey Park alleyway is one of 9 arts alleyways in Detroit that will get an art-infused makeover to help transform them into functional spaces.

The Staff

Katrina Watkins

Founder & CEO
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Duane Ashford

McDougall-Hunt Neighborhood Association President
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Kayla Kemp

Administrative and Marketing Coordinator
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Amanda Paige

Programs Director
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The Board

Robert Siporin - Board Chair

Kalissa Maxwell - Secretary

Kartav Patel- Treasurer

Sharron Rambus- Board Member

Carol Thomas - Board Member

Lenardo Banks - Board Member

Dave Tobar Board Member

Sharnell Davis - Board Member

Pastor Robert Lodge - Board Member

The Association

McDougall-Hunt Neighborhood Association

The McDougall-Hunt Neighborhood Association is a grassroots community organization that is committed to creating sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our neighborhood.Through collaborative partnerships with local organizations, businesses, and government agencies we work to address the unique needs and priorities of our community.

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Duane Ashford- President

Jennifer Pasha - Vice President

Katrina Watkins - Secretary

Sandra Williams- Treasurer

Yvonne Purivoy- Board Member

James Brown- Board Member

Sheree Howard - Board Member

Deborah Williams Board Member

The Neighborhood

McDougall-Hunt’s proximity to the Central Business District, Cultural Center, and Eastern Market makes it a potentially attractive area for new housing, creative uses of vacant space, and the complete reimagining of an urban neighborhood. Concern over the potential of displacement and gentrification that unchecked redevelopment can bring led residents to take a more proactive role in their neighborhood, in hopes of ensuring equity and stability.

In 2018, resident leaders at the Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation (BPNDC) and the McDougall-Hunt Neighborhood Association (MDHNA) began working with community development partners including the Eastside Community Network and the Detroit Collaborative Design Center to update the 2003 McDougall Hunt Rehabilitation Plan. More than 150 residents and numerous city agencies were engaged to provide input, feedback, knowledge, and expertise to create a document that reflected present realities and dreams for the future. The result was the McDougall-Hunt Neighborhood Sustainable Redevelopment Plan—a document which assesses the neighborhood's history, analyzes existing conditions, and outlines the restored vision for this neighborhood. The plan explores several topics including demographics, safety and crime, land use, and community assets. The plan also details community and stakeholder engagement efforts and offers recommendations for creating a revitalized McDougall-Hunt.

The Sustainable Redevelopment Plan reinforces goals set forth in the 2003 plan and extends these priorities in anticipation of increasing growth and development over the next 5-10 years. The plan serves as a living document as MDH moves forward in the planning and implementation process. This document is intended to guide growth, promote a cohesive neighborhood character and identity, steward the heritage of this historic community, and celebrate McDougall-Hunt's character as a unique neighborhood in Detroit.

View The Plan

Recognizing that McDougall-Hunt is one of the last representation of the Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods that embodied Black economic leadership and empowerment, BPNDC commissioned local historian, Kenneth Coleman, to research and write the history of our neighborhood. Our thanks to the Alternative Foundation for funding this effort.

The Funders

"Bailey Park NDC extends heartfelt gratitude to our generous funders whose unwavering support has empowered us to create a vibrant community space where families, friends, and neighbors come together. And impactful programs that enrich the lives of those in our community and City."