ILH Introductory Blog Post

Independent Living Housing, Inc., (ILH) is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization established for the charitable purpose of providing life skills and educational services to developmentally

challenged youth in metro Detroit who are lagging behind in their classes.

ILH was created by Ruth Shortie in 1998 and since then has positively impacted the lives of

many youth and young adults. There is an unmet need by the Detroit School District and

community that ILH has responded to.

The mission of ILH is to provide independent living programs for youth and young adults who have learning disabilities and who are socially as well as economically disadvantaged.

ILH has goals and plans to provide independent living programs including educational training of English, math, science, social science, reading, writing up to a sixth-grade level, leadership development, and individual, group and family therapy to promote higher self-esteem. We want to create an environment where individuals with learning disabilities can reach their maximum potential.

ILH’s target audience is the learning disabled and other at-risk youth and young adults ages three to 26 who are assigned to the Specialized Student Services Departments at Winship

Elementary/Middle, Cervency Middle, Post, Barbara Jordan, Central High, Coffee, Cooley High, Rutherford, Bethune Schools, and the general public.