City of Grand Rapids issued the following announcement on Mar 16.
For nearly half a century, Bobbie Butler has been a tireless advocate for accessible and affordable housing by serving on the Grand Rapids Housing Commission. Her more than four decades of service will come to an end this year as she finally retires the title of “Commissioner.”
Butler was first appointed to the Housing Commission – which works to provide housing assistance and affordable housing opportunities to lower-income families, the disabled, and senior citizens – by City Manager Joseph G. Zainea and confirmed by the Grand Rapid City Commission on Jan. 4, 1977.
Focusing on finding fiscally sound ways to support families, neighborhoods, and empower economic self-sufficiency, Butler’s service for these many years is a history of the Housing Commission. Her tenure saw three Commission Executive Directors, five Mayors, and multiple City Managers. Alongside her colleagues, she has overseen the development of thousands of units of affordable housing – such as Ransom Tower, Campau Court, Mount Mercy, Creston Plaza, and the recently opened Antoine Court – which have provided homes to thousands of Grand Rapidians and their families.
“Commissioner Butler has used her intellect, insight, and experience to further the Grand Rapids Housing Commission mission to provide affordable housing opportunities for this community,” said Housing Commission Executive Director Lindsey Reams. “She has represented the Housing Commission as a champion for housing equity in the local, state, regional and national spheres. We are grateful for all she has contributed to the Agency, the people we serve and the Grand Rapids community and wish her continued health, happiness, and prosperity.”
She also saw the Commission adapt over time to changing housing needs, policies, and strategies. Butler has seen the growth of various iterations of “Section 8” programs, providing rental assistance and homeownership opportunities for lower-income families in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD. She helped the Commission implement and grow the local Family Self-Sufficiency Program from its inception as “Operation Bootstrap” under then HUD Secretary Jack Kemp in the early 1990s.
Butler has always been a champion for the city’s most vulnerable. She helped the Housing Commission open a Transitional Housing Program for homeless women with minor dependent children known as Hope Community. The program has 24 units of housing and a 2-year curriculum to assist families to become economically self-sufficient and attain housing stability. Understanding that opportunity was the key to breaking the cycle of generational poverty, Butler supported the creation of the Jean McKee Resident Scholarship program in memory of attorney, community leader, and longtime Housing Commissioner Jean McKee. The program awards scholarships to deserving residents of local affordable housing programs.
Butler’s time on the commission has also been marked by making meaningful and long-lasting impacts on homelessness in our community. She’s been involved with programs such as “Shelter Plus Care” – providing units to homeless veterans and their surviving spouses – and the “Home At Last” initiative – a partnership with Network 180 to help individuals experiencing chronic homelessness maintain stable housing. And innovative ideas such as transitioning Hope Community to a Rapid Re-Housing Program model, serving homeless women and children, have benefited from her focus and attention.
In addition to serving on the Housing Commission, Butler was also key in advancing equity, inclusion and equal opportunity in the City. Serving as the City’s Community Relations Director from 1970-1976 and as the Director of the, then, newly created Equal Opportunity Department from 1976-1988, Butler was responsible for creating the City’s first Affirmative Action Plan, first Contract Compliance Program, first Sexual Harassment Policy, and the first municipal Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) program in the State of Michigan. Her work laid the foundation for the City’s current Office of Equity and Engagement and continues to live in through a variety of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
“The lack of affordable housing is a national issue. Grand Rapids has not been immune to that over the year but Mrs. Butler’s commitment to the people of this community has ensured we’ve continued to make positive progress in the fight to ensure everyone has access to safe and stable housing,” said Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington. “Her contributions and leadership have changed countless lives in this City. Her work not just on the Housing Commission but even within City Hall has left an indelible mark and her unprecedented length of service should serve as an example to us all of what it means to be truly invested in the community,” Washington said.
Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss presented Butler with a formal proclamation at the March 15 meeting of the Grand Rapids City Commission for her decades of dedicated service. Butler’s last day as a Housing Commissioner will be March 31 but the legacy she leaves behind will be felt for many more years to come.
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Grand Rapids
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