 Oak School was a beautiful but rundown 1898 building in Flint, Michigan, with a file full of rehabilitation plans and no funding to complete them. Fortunately, the school became the first major project of Communities First Inc., a non-profit redevelopment corporation founded by Glenn Wilson in 2010. Wilson spearheaded a $5.1 million renovation that transformed the building into low-income senior housing with on-site healthcare and a rotating collection of library books and museum art. More recently, Communities First purchased the Swayze Court Apartments, significant for their connection to Buick and General Motors, and is in the process of creating 36 affordable units for homeless and special needs individuals. Wilson is also applying his knowledge of building reuse and historic rehabilitation funding to help develop the Flint master plan, with a focus on including preservation. In just six years, Wilson has set an example of using historic preservation as a tool to improve the lives of Flint's most vulnerable citizens and revitalize the city while retaining its industrial history.