Housing & Residential Resources

Community Homeworks is a Michigan Non Profit Corporation with a focus area of Kalamazoo County. Community Homeworks accomplishes this by equipping low and very low income home owners with skills, resources, and financial assistance to empower them to maintain their property, build equity, and engage with their communities through mentorships and collaborations to build healthy neighborhoods.

Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services exists to close the home-ownership gap in Kalamazoo. KNHS offers education, foreclosure counseling, a lease-purchase program, credit building, and mortgage down-payment assistance to qualifying low income individuals and families.

Lead Contamination (Drinking Water, Lead-Based Paint)

Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains high levels of lead (called lead based paint). Lead from paint, chips, and dust can pose serious health hazards if not taken care of properly, especially to children under 6.

The State of Michigan hosts a website with information on on lead and its effects, as well as its treatment and abatement. You find that information site here.

Bulk trash

Bulk trash is collected quarterly in March, June, September, and December. Most of the Vine neighborhood falls under the 3^rd Monday on those months, but a small section of Vine is collected on the 1^st Tuesday. See the map, here, to be sure which day your bulk trash is collected.

For a list of acceptable and unacceptable items and guidelines, please visit the City’s website.

Recycling

The City offers free, weekly recycling, which is picked up on the same day that your neighborhood receives trash collection. All recyclable items may go into the same bin with papers separated to one side or in a paper bag. Recyclables should be out at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on the scheduled collection day, but no sooner than one day prior to collection. Please remove your recycling bin from the curblawn no later than 11:00 p.m. of the day of your collection.

See the City’s website for a full listing of items that may and may not be recycled.

If you do not have a recycling bin, please call the City of Kalamazoo at 269-337-8215 to arrange for delivery.

Leaf Collection

The City of Kalamazoo provides on-street leaf collection in the fall. Residents need only to rake leaves just off the curb. The City asks residents to avoid placing leaves near mail boxes, utility poles and landscaped areas and to separate leaves from brush (branches or twigs). Anything other than leaves or bags weighing more than 50 lbs. will NOT be taken.

To find collection dates, please visit the City’s website.

Mattress Disposal

The Sleep Help Institute has published a guide for disposing of old mattresses, including tips for donating and recycling. You can read that guide here.

Sleep Health

Tuck has compiled a website dedicated to sleep health and hygiene.

Historic District

The Vine Neighborhood is one of several historic districts in Kalamazoo. To landlords and home-owners, this means that certain guidelines must be met in maintaining the historical preservation of homes in the neighborhood. Information, guidelines, and applications for renovations and improvements can be found at the City’s website.

Public Safety

Community Police Officers (CPO’s) work with neighborhood directors to stay apprised of problems and priorities of the neighborhoods, so they can be addressed in a timely manner. That’s why maintaining communication about issues in your neighborhood with your VNA executive director is important.

Neighborhood watch happens at the VNA office on the first Tuesday of every month at 5:30.

Have an ongoing concern on your block? Hotspots Forms are a way that residents can anonymously report drug incidents, junk auto, loud music, trash, tall grass and other crimes.