MARCH 2, 2026
Perry Outreach: A Heartbeat in the Community
In early February, I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at Perry Outreach in Southwest Detroit’s Industrial City area. Perry opens at 10 a.m., and when I arrived, the team was already at the entrance. Randall Mosley met me there and introduced me to everyone right away. A week before that, I came in to ask questions and understand what Perry actually is. I was assigned through my company, I Find Staffing Services LLC, to refresh the outlook of Perry Outreach. I walked in thinking about messaging and design. I left that first visit knowing the story was bigger than the visuals.
Perry Outreach goes back to 1958, when it was still just a house. Percy and Idela Perry bought it from a Hungarian family. They were connected to St. Andrew’s, and they raised two daughters who became known as pillars in the neighborhood.
The surrounding community changed over time. It was once largely Polish and Slavic, and later became a predominantly Black neighborhood, with many residents tied to Ford and Detroit’s working class. So, over time The Perry Outreach Center did not appear out of nowhere. It grew alongside the neighborhood and its needs.
Marcel Smith(Niecy) on the left, and Lacy Guyton on right.
Lacy Guyton, Perry Outreach.Perry has always been built around community and outreach. Leaders like Sister Ilene Lantezy and Ed Szorzki helped carry that work forward, and even after they passed away, the direction did not disappear. Other people stepped in and continued what was already in motion. When I asked Randall what he wants people to understand about Perry now, he was clear that Perry is not just a place that hands out food, and when they’re done, it closes its doors. The goal is growth. Support is part of it, but so is rebuilding. In his words, Perry can help give someone what they need to move forward, but the decision to move still has to be theirs.
On Tuesdays, volunteer nurses come in. They were kind, focused, and helpful, and the pace stayed steady.
At the front desk, Valentine’s Day decorations went up over the entrance. It was small, but intentional. The tone at the front matters because it is the first thing people meet when they walk in.
Randall said it plainly too. Perry is for everyone, across backgrounds, beliefs, and identity. People should be able to walk in and be treated with respect
Roberto Rangel, left. Yesenia Sanchez, middle. Michelle Lopez, right. I Find Staffing Services LLC.
Andrea Cuevas, I Find Staffing Services LLC.
Nurses
Andrea Cuevas, I Find Staffing Services LLC.
Andrea Cuevas, I Find Staffing Services LLC.Andrea Cuevas, I Find Staffing Services LLC.
