Bethany Housing
Since 1991, Bethany Housing has been committed to housing and community development for low-income and working families, seniors, and people with special needs not adequately served in the private market who desire program-enriched, affordable housing. Programs include permanent supportive housing for homeless families, permanent rental, and home ownership opportunities. In addition to scattered-site housing development, we provide moderate rehab for low-income homeowners in our target area.
For more infomation on the programs offered at Bethany Housing, drop in to our office or contact: anetria@communityencompass.org
HOUSING ASSESSMENT & RESOURCE AGENCY (HARA)
Community enCompass is the state-designated “Housing Assessment and Resource Agency” (HARA) for Muskegon County. As such, we are now offering HARA Informational Sessions on a weekly basis, Housing Stabilization Services/Case Management Services and pre applications for the Housing Choice Voucher Homeless Preference Waiting List. These services are to eligible individuals and families struggling with a housing crisis. Please call or stop by to learn more!

Dozens of neighborhood teenagers spent their summers doing internships through the Youth Empowerment Project. The PAID internships created an opportunity of high school students to gain experience in the fields of youth work, agriculture, construction, and gardening, building interpersonal skills and developing their resumes
Want to give back to core-city Muskegon?
Here at Community enCompass the opportunities to give back to your community are endless, but here are 20 ways you can get involved today.
Nina has bounced from house to house for over a decade, taking the initiative and engaged the services provided by almost every social service organization in the City---food assistance, substance abuse programs, parenting classes. She’s rented a place before, but the rent was higher than what she could afford—sometimes 70% of her total income, and she always ended up evicted.
This summer, hundreds of volunteers have already partnered with our neighbors to invest time, money and effort along 5th and 6th Streets from Houston Avenue south into Muskegon Heights. The project activities have provided effects similar to that of a facelift, rejuvenating the existing physical built environment of our core city neighborhoods. These activities are lifting the spirits of those living in these neighborhoods as well, and allowing neighbors to show-off their amazing gifts of hospitality!
“When we look at a house like this we see history, we see story, we see family, we see value and hope. We see good bones.” A house like this makes no sense to any real estate investor. It’s not a house you can flip for profit. The current real estate values in Muskegon's core city neighborhoods don’t make a house like this profitable in any way. It took close to $60,000 in materials and necessary contracted work to bring this house back to life, and that's not accounting for the countless hours of volunteer work that have been put in.
15% of Muskegon County residents have a certified disability, 25% higher than the national average. 41% of Muskegon county residents live at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty level, 22%* higher than national average. These numbers alone are sobering, so this month we are taking the opportunity to educate ourselves about the links between poverty and health, health and poverty.
The cost of healthcare can cripple a family. Even when wise health decisions are made, exercise is frequent and diet is healthy, the “unforeseen” can blow a hole into anyone's reality.
Redlining is the historical practice of denying services to residents of certain areas based on the racial or ethnic composition of those areas. Redlining in Muskegon resulted in some neighborhoods being underdeveloped, buildings being abandoned, businesses failing, increasing social problems and the removal of any incentives to invest.
Phew: What a summer! So much work has been done. One of the highlights this summer has been our “4th Street Facelift” Project. Community enCompass was 1 of 10 organizations across the state to be awarded a $50,000 grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) for neighborhood enhancement projects. Competition was hot with 36 projects across the state applying, and the grant was a catalyst for neighborhood organizing in a powerful way.