Billy Strings Plugs In Support For Low-Income Housing In Grand Rapids

Billy Strings provided financial assistance to a housing project for extremely low-income renters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as Crain’s Grand Rapids Business reported. The guitarist contributed a total of $75,000 in two separate donations to Grand Rapids nonprofit Well House.

Well House offers “permanent, low-cost housing options for individuals and families who are experiencing chronic homelessness, have mental or physical disabilities, or who lack access to housing through traditional markets,” as per Crains.

Billy discovered Well House through his manager Sameen Ahmad of Hank & Ed Management.

“Each year, throughout the year, we make several donations to different organizations, and my business manager presents me with a couple options,” Strings told Crain’s. “I told her to look around my hometown, and she found Well House, and it just resonated with me. I grew up around there, and I’ve seen the homeless population in downtown Grand Rapids. Whenever [I was] down there, skateboarding and such, I’d try to give a few bucks here and there… Now that I’m grown up, it feels nice to give back to the community.”

“As far as I could tell from my conversation with his manager, he’s very socially conscious and very aware of the disenfranchised, given his history and his background,” Well House executive director John Glover said.

Billy knows the struggles of addiction and housing insecurity firsthand. Strings, born William Apostol, was raised in nearby Muir, Michigan. His father died of a heroin overdose and his mother and stepfather struggled with methamphetamine addiction. Leaving home at 13, Billy experienced his own problems with drugs until kicking the hard stuff and alcohol in 2016.

According to Glover, Billy’s donation will help Well House build eight new rental housing units at three sites on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, The units will go to families and individuals making 30% or less of area median income.

“We need to start focusing on the 30% and below AMI,” Glover said. “If we can address that floor substantively, I think it’ll shift how developers come to the table in terms of creating more units at all price points. But there’s got to be some intentionality around the lowest of the low.”

On March 27, a grant from The Grand Rapids Brownfield Redevelopment Authority of $150,000 will provide further assistance to Well House’s plan, which carries a total cost of $2.4 million. Pending further funding, Glover noted the project will break ground in May and wrap by the end of 2024.

Billy Strings’ spring tour kicks off on April 12 in Tampa. Up first is an intimate doubleheader with Bryan Sutton at Nashville’s American Legion Post 82 on April 7. Check out his itinerary with ticket info below.