27 Years of Building
Detroit from Within
Committed to strengthening families, uplifting youth, and building empowered communities — one household at a time since 1998.
Counseled
Served
Reached
Service
Detroit's Most Valuable Resource Has Always Been Its People
Dear Friends, Partners, and Community,
Twenty-seven years ago, Abayomi Community Development Corporation was founded on a simple but powerful conviction: that Detroit's most valuable resource has always been its people. That conviction has guided every housing counseling session, every wellness event, every small business we have supported, and every young person we have welcomed through our doors.
FY2025 was a year of deepening impact. We counseled more than 700 individuals on the path to homeownership and housing stability. We hosted our Homebuyer Education classes twice a month and held our annual My Keys Please seminar — bringing together first-time buyers, financial coaches, and community resources for a full day of preparation and empowerment. Our Be Well pillar reached 150 or more families through Self Care Sunday and community wellness activations. Through our RISE Hub, we collaborated with entrepreneurship ecosystem partners to host pitch competitions and delivered targeted technical assistance to entrepreneurs building businesses right here in Detroit. And across our programs and facility partnerships, we reached more than 400 young people.
This year also marks an important evolution: our growing role as a fiscal sponsor and organizational anchor for emerging community initiatives. Through this work, we extend our infrastructure and institutional trust to programs that align with our mission — amplifying impact beyond what we could achieve alone.
None of this happens without you. To our funders, partners, board members, volunteers, and community members — thank you.
In community and in purpose,
Our Numbers Tell the Story
Behind every figure is a Detroit resident whose trajectory shifted because Abayomi was there — present, prepared, and committed.
"Before Abayomi, I didn't think I could ever own a home. The classes made everything clear — and the team stayed with me the whole way. I'm now a proud homeowner."
Programs That Meet People Where They Are
Every program Abayomi delivers is grounded in cultural relevance, community trust, and a belief that Detroit residents deserve more than a service — they deserve a partner.
As a HUD-certified housing counseling agency, Abayomi's Housing & Economic Development pillar sits at the core of our mission. In FY2025, we counseled more than 700 individuals — guiding residents through homebuyer education, mortgage readiness, foreclosure prevention, and housing stability planning.
Our Homebuyer Education classes ran twice a month throughout the year, offering HUD-approved certification required for many down payment assistance programs. We also hosted My Keys Please — our annual homeownership seminar bringing together first-time buyers, financial coaches, lenders, and community experts for a full day of preparation and empowerment.
Abayomi's Be Well pillar reflects our conviction that community development is incomplete without addressing the whole person. In FY2025, Be Well reached 150 or more families through Self Care Sunday — our signature wellness activation bringing together health resources, movement, mindfulness, and connection in an accessible, joyful format.
Beyond community events, Be Well is developing corporate and institutional wellness contracts — bringing culturally grounded programming into workplace settings to generate sustainable program revenue.
The RISE Hub is built on the belief that Detroit's economic future belongs to Detroit entrepreneurs. In FY2025, RISE delivered targeted technical assistance to five business clients and co-hosted pitch competitions in partnership with entrepreneurship ecosystem partners across Detroit — creating a platform for local entrepreneurs to connect with the resources that can accelerate their growth.
Investing in Detroit's Next Generation
Abayomi's commitment to youth is woven throughout our organizational fabric — from our 36,000 sq. ft. facility to our fiscal sponsorships to our programming partnerships.
400+ Youth Reached in FY2025
Local schools, recreational leagues, and youth sports teams utilize our gymnasium at the New St. Mark Family Life Center for practices, games, and community programming — creating consistent, safe touchpoints for young people in our neighborhood throughout the year.
Self Care Sunday — Youth & Family
Our flagship wellness activations include youth and family programming, creating intergenerational touchpoints for health, movement, and community connection.
Schools, Leagues & Recreation
Abayomi's facility spaces serve as a home for multiple youth sports leagues and school athletic programs — extending our community reach year-round.
Sanguine Motorsport Young Drivers Program
Abayomi serves as fiscal sponsor for this STEM and motorsports access initiative — introducing youth ages 12–18 from underserved Detroit communities to engineering and mobility career pathways.
Empowered Academy — Youth Workforce Development
A 10-week workforce development cohort for Detroit youth ages 16–21, combining financial literacy, career exploration, and hands-on skill building across real estate, housing counseling, and skilled trades.
Building on 27 Years —
Our Vision for What's Next
As Abayomi enters its 28th year of service, we are expanding our reach, deepening our impact, and pioneering new models for community-centered development.
Fiscal Sponsorship Expansion
Abayomi is growing its role as an organizational anchor for emerging community programs. Our fiscal sponsorship of the Sanguine Motorsport Young Drivers Program is the first of several mission-aligned partnerships we aim to cultivate — extending our infrastructure to initiatives that have clear community purpose.
Housing & Economic Development — Expanded Reach
Abayomi is deepening its housing pillar with new initiatives designed to expand financial wellness access across Detroit. The Community Financial Wellness Initiative (CFWI) delivers a tiered model of financial coaching, credit counseling, and asset-building resources to residents at every income level. Alongside our established homebuyer education programming, we are growing The Living Room — a curated event series held inside real Detroit properties that connects community members to homeownership as a lived experience and a long-term wealth-building tool. Together, these programs build a continuum from financial readiness to sustainable homeownership.
Be Well Institutional Growth
We are expanding our corporate and institutional wellness contract portfolio — bringing culturally grounded Be Well programming into workplaces, healthcare systems, and government settings to drive both impact and revenue sustainability.
Empowered Academy Launch
The Empowered Academy will launch its first cohort in 2026 — providing structured, hands-on career pathway exposure for Detroit youth ages 16–21 across real estate, housing counseling, and skilled trades.
Thought Leadership & Community Voice
Abayomi is expanding its voice as a Detroit thought leader — developing data-driven, news-responsive content that positions our organization as a trusted resource for residents, partners, policymakers, and funders across the region.
We Don't Do This Alone
Abayomi's work is made possible through the generosity and collaboration of funders, institutional partners, and community organizations who share our commitment to Detroit.
Ecosystem partner entries are placeholders — please confirm before publishing.