The historic Webster School, a 53,000 sq. ft. building in Pontiac, Michigan, opened in 1921 to support the city’s booming automotive industry but was closed in 2008 due to population decline and sat vacant for over a decade. Located in a medically underserved area with a poverty rate of 36 percent, a median family income of less than half the area median, and an unemployment rate of 27 percent, the community faced severe challenges, including limited access to healthcare, fresh food, and youth services. The Micah 6 Community, a neighborhood-based community development corporation, aimed to address these challenges by transforming the abandoned school into the Webster Community Center, a hub for vital community services.

The revitalization efforts to create the Webster Community Center were supported by $25 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocation from National Trust Community Investment Corporation (NTCIC), PNC Community Partners, Inc., and Michigan Community Capital. NTCIC also facilitated an equity investment in the $5.5 million federal Historic Tax Credits generated by the $31 million redevelopment project. This critical financing enabled the project to proceed without long-term debt, ensuring its sustainability.

The rejuvenated Webster Community Center will house over a dozen nonprofit organizations serving nearly 12,000 people annually, with an estimated 160,000 visits yearly. It includes a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), supporting over 7,000 annual visits from low-income patients, a Head Start program for 360 children, and various after-school programs serving over 1,000 children. The center will support a business incubator focusing on Minority Business Enterprises, with 32 participants annually. Pontiac Food Co-op will sell fresh produce, shelf stable goods, basic meats, and dairy products with a priority of sourcing and hiring locally. The project will create 60 permanent full-time jobs and 117 construction jobs, bringing significant economic and social benefits to a distressed community.