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The Tricycle Collective

Keep Detroit families in their homes by helping them buy their houses at auction.

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The Tricycle Collective

The Tricycle Collective

The Tricycle Collective

The Tricycle Collective

The Tricycle Collective

Keep Detroit families in their homes by helping them buy their houses at auction.

Keep Detroit families in their homes by helping them buy their houses at auction.

Keep Detroit families in their homes by helping them buy their houses at auction.

Keep Detroit families in their homes by helping them buy their houses at auction.

michmobi
michmobi
michmobi
michmobi
1 Campaign |
Detroit, United States
$6,421 USD 57 backers
115% of $5,555 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Short Summary

This October 23,000 Detroit properties will be auctioned off to the highest bidder for prices starting at only $500. This is an incredible opportunity for investors and speculators, but also a personal tragedy for the estimated 20,000 occupants of these properties. Most of these people face eviction and displacement when someone else buys their home.

We are contributing $500 each to 10 deserving families, which we initially selected because they had tricycles or other signs of young children in the front yard.

Help deserving Detroiters STAY PUT instead of MOVE OUT. 

Help them own their own homes.

Help turn a traumatic life event into an opportunity.

Help keep people in Detroit who want to stay.

Help preserve the family home of a child.

Help us give them a fresh start. 

What We Need & What You Get

We're raising $500 to buy Detroit houses at auction for 10 deserving families for a total of $5,000. (The goal of $5555 is for indiegogo and other fees). 

  • If we meet our goal, each family will have enough to place the starting bid to buy their home.
  • Families are all expecting that their houses will sell for over $500, but what we earn will help them get closer.
  • The United Community Housing Coalition, will apply the money toward the purchase of each house at auction. 
  • If we exceed our goal, there is more to go around!  Additional funds will be 1) spread out among the 10 families for house prices greater than $500 and property taxes. 2) Applied to covering the [minimal] costs of running this campaign and 3) Handed over to the UCHC which will apply it to auction purchases for more than just our 10 original families.
  • We are already on target to well-exceed the fundraising goal. Vetting for additional families has begun!

Who We Are

The Tricycle Collective has a 3-tiered approach:

1) Root Cause Activism- Work with local government and non-profits to reduce foreclosure

2) Education- Inform and empower residents of foreclosed homes with information about the foreclosure and the auction.

3) Direct Action- Raise money to help buy auctioned properties and so residents can stay put rather than moving out. All of our candidates live in houses with tricycles in the front yard- these are homes to young children. THIS is what the fundraising campaign is about.

Our team includes:

  • Michele Oberholtzer- is a Detroit writer, engineer and community activist 
  • The United Community Housing Coalition- is a Detroit non-profit that has helped buy over 1,000 homes at auction. They provide counseling, legal support, financial counseling, and expertise in the auction process. They charge only $25 for all their auction services and also provide ZERO% INTEREST loans where possible, to those who cannot pay the full amount of their home's auction price. 
  • The Families- Represent thousands of other Detroiters who face hard times for various reasons and, in many cases, deserve a second chance. We will profile each of the families throughout the campaign. 
What do you get? How about the chance to make a disproportionally massive positive impact on someone's life for astoundingly little money? Not enough? Check out our perks. We try to show you love but we don't spend big money to thank you for spending money because that's really not the point. 

Impact

Every time we help a family stay in their home, we offset the traumas of foreclosure and positively impact all levels of community. 

  • The Residents: Foreclsosure abruptly displaces people in ways that almost always lead to reduced quality of life. Eviction can mean children pulled out of school, parents losing jobs after missing too much work, entire families victimized by scammers or other predators.
  • The Property: Properties sold at auction often become blighted buildings as scrappers strip them of valuable pipes, wiring, and appliances as soon as the former residents move out.  
  • The Neighborhood: Communities are fractured by foreclosure. Fewer neighbors mean fewer eyes on the street and a weaker community network. Fewer occupied houses means lower property values and greater risk of crime. 
  • Local Government: Some people displaced by foreclosure will move away, lowering city population. Everything from school budgets to utility bill rates are affected when population drops. Some people displaced by foreclosure will stay, increasing the number of people in the city who need government support, such as housing, to survive.

All this can be avoided when we help people STAY PUT instead of MOVE OUT

Risks & Challenges

  • You never know what will happen at the auction! A few rich speculators can make the prices of these homes soar with the click of a button. Prices start at $500 but UCHC predicts that our homes will sell for an average of $1250. Even then, there's no guarantee. 
  • WORST CASE SCENARIO, we will buy a home for only one family. Projections based on past year's experience tell us we will be able to serve many more.
  • Our fundraiser will end before the auction begins so that the money is in place to bid on the properties. Donors will not know the outcome of the auction until a few weeks after their contribute, but don't worry, we will absolutely follow up.

Other Ways to Help

We understand not everyone can contribute, here are some other ways you can help:

  • Share our story! Follow, Like, Comment on and Share our activity Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
  • Educate yourself about the tax foreclosure issue:
  • Come and see us in Detroit sometime. We'd love to have you!
Looking for more information? Check the project FAQ
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Choose your Perk

Join In

$1 USD
For any contribution level, we invite you to join us for the post-auction Homeowners Potluck where we will celebrate the hard work and generosity of the families, the United Community Housing Coalition, and all Tricycle Collective donors.
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
3 claimed

Shout It Out

$10 USD
We'll tell the world know you are a person with a generous heart through a Facebook, Instagram, and/or Twitter shout out.
Estimated Shipping
October 2014
12 claimed

Stick to It

$50 USD
Receive a limited-edition decal sticker of The Tricycle Collective logo from Fathead! Put it on your water bottle, laptop, trapper keeper, bike or maybe your favorite tricycle.
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
10 out of 50 of claimed

Make a Joyful Noise

$100 USD
Get a limited-edition bicycle bell with the Tricycle Collective logo on it to show that YOU care about Detroit, children, second-changes, non-verbal ringing greetings, or all of the above!
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
3 out of 100 of claimed

Start the Bidding

$500 USD
Incredibly, this contribution may actually pay the full amount needed for a family to own their own home. For your generous gift, you'll receive an update on the family after the auction is over, including a hand-written thank you note from the people you have helped, as well as a bicycle bell with the Tricycle Collective logo. P.S. You Rock.
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
1 claimed

Buy A House

$1,250 USD
According to our partners at the United Community Housing Coalition, the average sale price for auctioned properties is $1250. The full amount of this donation will go to a single family (of your choice or whoever is featured on the day of your donation), which may cover the ENTIRE cost of the home, a truly incredible gift. You will be a guest of honor at our post-auction potluck, receive a follow-up thank-you packet from the family you sponsor, and receive all the other perks along the way.
Estimated Shipping
November 2014
3 claimed

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