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Spotlight on . . . . . ACC's Groundbreaking and Grand Opening breaks new ground
Joined by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano among other notable officials, the ACC shared its vision to revive the Seven Mile area with guests and media. Construction on the Artisan Center is slated for September and its completion is expected in April. "We looked at Seven Mile and found that with focus and dedication we can steadily reach our goals in making it an area with dynamic energy, economic stability and to provide residents a safe place to live and work," said President and CEO Haifa Fakhouri. "With the latest addition of the Network Clubhouse and the pending Artisan Center, the ACC's vision of transforming Seven Mile into a culturally diverse destination is gradually becoming a reality." Fakhouri along with the ACC Board of Directors' vision of restoring
the Seven Mile Corridor, which is nestled between John R Road
and Woodward Avenue, was set in motion last year when the area
was deemed as a Cool Cities neighborhood by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
The Seven Mile area fit the bill as a Cool Cities designation
since its part of Granholm's economic plan to revitalize the state's
cities by retaining and attracting jobs and people to strengthen
the state's economy. The Network Clubhouse and the Artisan Center joined the ACC Youth Leadership and Recreational Center and the Detroit ACC Headquarters in enhancing the long-standing economically depressed area. Neighborhood renewal through the creation of an authentic representation of Arabic and Chaldean trade, and culture will help bridge the gap between the Arabic and Chaldean community and the mainstream. It will stand as a permanent ACC contribution to the multi-ethnic Metropolitan Detroit area.
Drawing a connection between art and the community “The past is what man should not have
been. The present is what man ought not to be. The future is what
artists are.” The Artisan and Adult Learning Center
will be located adjacent to the Arab American and Chaldean Council’s
(ACC) Detroit Headquarters and directly across the street from
the ACC Youth Recreation & Leadership Center. Once completed
the 13,000-square-foot building will house workspace for artists
from diverse backgrounds, races and ethnicities. The center’s
first floor will be devoted to artisan pursuits that will boast
a gallery display area and a Middle Eastern-themed café.
The second floor will be committed to adult education and will
accommodate a computer lab, conference room, program offices and
an adult learning center that will provide programs such as English
as a Second Language, job training, financial and cultural workshops,
and other life skills programs that promote achievement and increase
individual wellbeing.
ACC's Clubhouse Meets Needs
ACC’s Clubhouse is culturally specific for consumers who
suffer from a
.Spotlight On... |
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The Arab American and Chaldean Council's
(ACC) latest addition to its Seven Mile Revitalization project
drew a crowd July 26. The organization's Artisan and Adult Learning
Center groundbreaking ceremony and the grand opening of the ACC
Wayne County Behavioral Health Network Clubhouse was a validation
of ACC's commitment to enhancing the Seven Mile community. 
Due
to the lack of programs available in the community that meet language
and cultural needs ACC, in partnership with Detroit Wayne County
Community Mental Health, opened a Psychosocial Rehabilitation
Center (Clubhouse). The Clubhouse provides community
based programs to the mainstream community, with a focus on the
Arabic and Chaldean populations, which will assist in the reduction
of inpatient care recidivism, while expanding on social, financial,
and vocational goals. The premise of the clubhouse model is that
when necessary and cost effective supports are put into place,
the cost for medical and psychiatric care decreases and the quality
of life increases. 
chronic mental illness and have the ability to engage in programs
that build on their strengths, independent living skills and develop
employment opportunities. As part of the continuum of treatment,
the Clubhouse Program provides diagnostic assessment, transitional
treatment for patients moving from hospitalization to community
life, prevention of future hospitalizations and highly structured
treatment for individuals with long-standing severe psychiatric
illnesses. In addition, the ACC team provides ongoing supportive
services to the client’s family, family members, or significant
natural support system to educate them on how to effectively deal
with the client’s illness. 
