Crossroads of Michigan Serving the Community for 50 Years

Crossroads of Michigan, a social service outreach agency, was established in Detroit in 1971. Its mission is to support the surrounding community by providing emergency assistance and advocacy and to respond to other needs in the community as they are able to. Crossroads Associate Director Ashleigh Mitchell says that while providing basic necessities to needy families, the organization's staff began a dialogue with its clients to find out what needs were not being met in the community and how Crossroads of Michigan could help. "There are other barriers that come along with just needing food, so we wanted to invite people to have those conversations and basically wanted to get to the bottom of what was keeping people from being self-sufficient," she explains.

Identifying those barriers allowed Crossroads of Michigan to develop new programs to give residents the tools to break thorough them while providing a hand up. Now having served the community for five decades, the local non-profit has expanded its services over the years to include food supports, employment assistance, parenting classes, and assistance obtaining identification.

Mitchell, who has been with the organization since 2015, says barriers and needs are individualized and one cannot assume everyone is facing the same identical set of struggles.

In 1977, the Sunday Soup Kitchen was launched. Every Sunday of the year a hot, nutritious meal is served to hungry individuals and families. Sunday Soup Kitchens are sponsored by church groups, businesses, or other organizations who partner with Crossroads to purchase ingredients, prepare, and serve the meal each Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. Mitchell says the organization currently feed about 500 people each Sunday. The gathering also fills a social need in the community, connecting those in need with other available services provided by Crossroads. In addition, a food pantry is available and is based on household size. An appointment is necessary to access the food pantry.

In 2001, Crossroads established an employment office to assist those seeking work. Full-time job seekers can peruse job openings and potential employers in the organization's resource room. Assistance can also be obtained in resume writing and preparing for job interviews.

Crossroads of Michigan also offers a Parenting Support Program, which offers classes in parenting skills which can enable parents to provide a caring and healthy environment for children. The Parent Support Program meets once a week.

Crossroads is one of the only non-profit organizations in the city who helps people obtain identification, such as Michigan State I.D. cards and birth certificates. Mitchell says their organization receives referrals from other agencies "Because they know that we're one of the only ones to help." Identification is necessary to find jobs, apply for a social security card, apply for training programs, and acquire subsidized housing. She says this service is the one that is strewn with the most hurdles, as one must already have a valid I.D. in order to obtain a birth certificate and vice versa. Add homelessness and lack of any documentation with your address on it and the work to acquire identification becomes more intense. In 2019, Crossroads of Michigan spent over $41,000 to help clients obtain identification.

Crossroads' programs and services are not only for Detroit or Wayne County residents. Crossroads serves a vast community, including residents of Oakland and Macomb Counties. "We serve anyone that can come to our door," says Mitchell. "We get anywhere from kids that have graduated high school and never had an I.D. to people over 65 and needing help with food."

The organization utilizes grants to achieve its mission, and fundraising efforts, usually successful, have been curtailed due to COVID-19. Mitchell is optimistic, however, and is already planning fundraisers for the summer and fall this year. Crossroads has a small staff, and Mitchell says a majority of the work is done by it more than 100 volunteers. "All of our work is done by volunteers," says Mitchell. "They sit with our clients...they show empathy...not only the heart, they are the soul of our mission."

Crossroads of Michigan's Main Office is located at 2424 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit.

To obtain assistance, to volunteer, or to find out more about programs at Crossroads, call 313-831-2787 or go to http://www.crossroadsofmichigan.org.