Tucked away into a quiet Ypsilanti neighborhood at 330 Chidester St., Chidester Place offers subsidized apartments for seniors and people with disabilities. Amenities like a cozy library, a small theater, and a large community room offer options for residents to enjoy events and socialize with their neighbors – but since the COVID-19 pandemic, those facilities had gone largely unused. Chidester resident Emy Deshotel says that when she first moved into her apartment last September, the resident council that typically planned events was not in operation, and many residents were lacking a sense of community.

"The community room wasn’t being used at all," Deshotel says. "We really felt abandoned down here, so our main goal is to make sure residents don’t feel forgotten."

Since earlier this spring, Deshotel has been working with other Chidester residents and a few Ypsi community members to bring more programming to Chidester. They started with a weekly bingo game, which Deshotel says was one of the main activities most other Chidester residents were seeking. She says that during her time as a resident, Chidester has had very little community-driven programming, if any. She says many senior residents feel as though they've been abandoned by the community surrounding them.
Doug CoombeChidester Place resident Emy Deshotel.
"I’ve heard a lot of comments from people about how the city doesn’t care, but people know now that they are cared about," Deshotel say. "So many people don’t leave this building, and now they have a reason to come out of their apartments."

Running community programming for all of Chidester’s residents was a fairly large undertaking for Deshotel, who is active throughout the Ypsi community in other capacities. So she reached out through Facebook to others who shared her vision of creating programming that Chidester residents said they wanted to see. She was approached by Billy Cole, the executive director of Supreme Felons, Inc., a local neighborhood watch organization dedicated to "promoting social justice, reducing recidivism rates, and building stronger, more vibrant communities in Washtenaw County," according to its website. Cole and other members of the group visit Chidester weekly to volunteer, spend time with residents, and help run the Monday night bingo games.

"We’re very interested in doing community service," Cole says. "We have clients in this building who are mentors that serve along other senior clients in the community, and this is a pillar of our own program. It’s been a great experience."
Doug CoombeBilly Cole, Sonya Townshend, and Bryan Foley of Supreme Felons, Inc. running bingo at Chidester Place.
Deshotel’s Facebook outreach also connected her with Ypsi resident Lisa Barfield, executive director of Kayla’s Kitchen, an organization that provides free food weekly at the Ypsilanti Transit Center. Barfield named the organization after her daughter Kayla, who passed away in 2022. Barfield says her daughter was a food lover who was passionate about serving her community by feeding them, which Barfield now emulates in her own work by providing free meals at Chidester each week. She works with Ypsilanti businesses such as Sidetrack Bar and Grill and Terry Bakery, which have donated fresh food to Chidester residents.

"I know my daughter is smiling at me," Barfield says. "I love to serve, and I’ve gotten very attached to the people here, who are all very grateful for our group."

Sidetrack owner Linda French also connected with Deshotel through Facebook, and was inspired by her vision to provide additional community support to Chidester residents. Along with Cole, Barfield, and Deshotel, French also heard from Chidester residents who no longer have strong relationships with family members, meaning that a lack of programming and community took a harsh mental toll on them. French hopes that providing free meals and events will continue to have a positive impact on residents.
Doug CoombeAleya Cullins, Sonya Townshend, Lisa Barfield, Jimerele Hawkins, and Bonnie Lawrence serving meals at Chidester Place.
"This is really all about supporting resident mental health," French says. "We really care about these folks, and people have been so appreciative of this."

Deshotel emphasizes that the work that she, Cole, Barfield, and French are doing at Chidester is entirely unpaid, with all food and bingo prizes being donated by community members. She says that while the first two months offering this revamped programming required her and the other volunteers to "set boundaries and define our goals," events have been well received and successful. She hopes others will be inspired to adapt the model she’s helped to develop at Chidester to similar communities throughout Ypsi.

"What works here won’t necessarily work at other places as well," Deshotel says. "We’ll always need management and residents to be involved. It will require collaboration. We want this to be long-lasting."
Doug CoombeLinda French serving desserts at Chidester Place.
Deshotel and her team at Chidester also hope to connect with other community leaders in the future to expand programming and reduce financial burden for themselves and Chidester residents.

"Programming like this is so important post-COVID, and has really made us a community," Deshotel says. "COVID was so isolating, on top of some residents being mobility challenged. I couldn’t not do this work."

Those seeking more information on Chidester Place Apartments can call the complex's management office at (734) 487-9400. 

Rylee Barnsdale is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. She wants to use her journalistic experience from her time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

All photos by Doug Coombe.