OUR HISTORY
Detroit Phoenix Center’s History
by Founder & CEO, Courtney Smith
After having my own personal struggles with housing insecurity and seeing friends and family members struggle with stability in Detroit and feeling so hopeless - I wanted to explore best practices and solutions in other communities to implement back in my hometown.
That desire led me to taking a transcontinental journey on board the Millennial Trains Project (MTP). MTP was a train that doubled as a social incubator for misfits (like me) who were not only crazy enough to believe that they could change the world --but actually set out to do it.
On board the train, I conducted youth focus groups and spoke with thought leaders around the youth homelessness space in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Milwaukee, Denver and Detroit. This took place in 2016.
I learned that many of the young people felt like they didn’t have a voice and that the best way to serve youth experiencing homelessness was rarely ever used. So I set out to amplify the voices and lived experiences of youth experiencing homelessness and to adopt a service model in Detroit that was both innovative and effective.
Thus, birthing Detroit Phoenix Center. We opened in 2017 as a completely volunteer-driven Asset Based Resource Center providing drop in services and basic need support to teens and young adults in need.
OUR GOAL
To provide critical resources, support, and a safe-nurturing & inclusive environment to youth transitioning who are transitioning out of poverty and homelessness.
OUR IMPACT
HOW WE WORK: OUR VALUES
Our values describe the way we treat people and the way we do business as a fast-growing organization. These values guide our decisions and actions. These values belong to everyone in the organization and are a reflection of our commitment to the youth we serve in Detroit, MI. We value:
1. Strengths-Based: Start with and build upon the skills, strengths, and positive
characteristics of each youth.
2. Positive Youth Development: Start with and build upon the skills, strengths, and
positive characteristics of each youth.
3. Holistic: Engage youth in a manner that recognizes that mental, physical, spiritual, and social
health are interconnected and interrelated.
4. Collaboration: Establish a principles-based, youth-focused system of support that integrates
practices, procedures, and services within and across agencies, systems, and policies.
Our values in action are reflected in the following ways:
1. Journey Oriented:
Start with and build upon the skills, strengths, and
positive characteristics of each youth.
2. Trauma-Informed:
Recognize that most youth experiencing
homelessness have experienced trauma; build
relationships, responses, and services on that
knowledge
3. Non-Judgmental:
Interact with youth without labeling or judging them on the basis of background, experiences, choices, or
behaviors.
4. Harm Reduction:
Contain the effects of risky behavior in the short-term
and seek to reduce its effects in the long-term.
5. Trusting Youth-Adult Relationships:
Build relationships by interacting with youth in an honest,
dependable, authentic, caring, and supportive way.
6. Racial Equity & Inclusion
We believe that the inclusion of diverse perspectives is
essential to achieving long-term, systemic change.
7. Dignity, Hope, & Inclusion:
We embrace inclusion and access regardless of race,
ethnicity, culture, language, gender, age,
socioeconomics, physical challenges, sexual orientation,
or any other difference.