Who We Are

THE TRICYCLE COLLECTIVE

…is a woman-led volunteer-powered nonprofit organization working to provide additional support to Detroit families with young children who live in homes facing tax foreclosure. We do this primarily through:

• the spreading of information (door knocking, public events, continuing homeowner education)
• the raising and distributing of funds (see our annual fall fundraiser through which we donate $500 to as many families as possible whose homes are being sold in the Wayne County Tax Foreclosure Auction)

Rachael Baker was excited to join the collective in 2016, having found a group of passionate and community-focused women who care about housing rights and supporting Detroit families. Through doctoral research in geography, Rachael studies land justice,and race and property relations among Detroit’s urban farmers.

Mahala Clayton  came to work with Tricycle Collective as a lover of hard work and good humans. Her background is in urban planning, crowdfunding, environmental science, and community development. She aims to create personal language and content for people to become self sufficient home owners and ambassadors within their neighborhoods.

Margo Dalal likes planning things in and out of Tricycle Collective, which she joined in 2014. She seeks to strategize for long-term impact, to remain humble, and to be part of this radical womyn-identified organization.

Alexa Eisenberg came to the tricycle collective with the hope that, through the power of collective knowledge and energy, we can prevent the cascading effects of  tax foreclosure in our community.  As a doctoral student in Public Health, Alexa is seeking to use science as a tool to improve health justice in Detroit.

Nfr Esters is empowered.

Katie Hearn came to the Tricycle Collective with a simple goal of helping to expand and sustain its impact. A communications pro by trade and community activist, technologist, and fundraiser by trial, it’s the human element of TC’s mission that attracted her, and the people of Detroit that spur her forward.

Erika Linenfelser joined Tricycle Collective to continue her dedication to public service and community development. She has a background in urban planning and design with a focus on cultural preservation, post-trauma reconstruction, post-industrial cities, and reconciliation.

Meghan Strickland came to the Tricycle Collective with a value for local property ownership and prevention of displacement of families.  As a local landlord, Meghan desires to be ethical and accountable in managing her rental properties and provide ownership opportunities for Detroiters.  In her spare time, Meghan can be found on her neighbors’ porch with her bulldog, Dexter.

Michele Oberholtzer founded The Tricycle Collective n 2014 after being radicalized by the inhumanity of the tax foreclosure crisis to fight for families to keep their homes. She now runs the Tax Foreclosure Prevention Project for United Community Housing Coalition and is still as passionate about housing rights as ever.

THE FAMILIES

…consist of 106 households (including 92 homeowners) who avoided or survived tax foreclosure and are committed to staying in their homes and building up their neighborhoods. Families who received support in the past contribute to the collective by sharing their time, expertise and experiences with each other, with other Detroiters at risk of foreclosure, and with the public at large.

THE CONTRIBUTORS

THE UNITED COMMUNITY HOUSING COALITION