🏀 A Coach’s Greatest Assist: Tom Izzo Invests $3.6 Million to Turn Historic Lansing Property into Shelter for Homeless Youth
Factual Fiction by a Spartan Chronicler
LANSING, MICHIGAN — In a stunning display of leadership off the hardwood, Michigan State’s legendary basketball coach Tom Izzo has made his most meaningful investment yet — not in players or facilities, but in people. On June 29, 2025, Izzo announced he had personally invested $3.6 million to convert a 19th-century mansion near downtown Lansing into a state-of-the-art transitional shelter for homeless and at-risk youth across Michigan.
The shelter, set to be named “The Evergreen House”, is being developed through a new partnership between the Izzo Legacy Family Fund and the Michigan Youth Futures Initiative. The mission is clear: to provide safe housing, mentorship, education access, and wellness support to young people aged 14–22 who are experiencing homelessness, aging out of foster care, or fleeing unstable environments.
Izzo’s inspiration came in early 2024, after visiting an underfunded drop-in center in Detroit during a charity event with his daughter, Raquel “Rocky” Izzo McDonald. One teenager’s story of couch-surfing while trying to stay in school struck him hard. “It felt like listening to a kid fighting for a shot at life — and realizing nobody was throwing them a pass,” Izzo later shared at a press conference.
“I’ve coached Final Fours, I’ve cut nets. But nothing compares to the idea that we might help some of these kids find stability, purpose, and maybe even a family — or at least a place to belong.”
The mansion itself — a 12,000-square-foot historical home once slated for demolition — will be reborn with 16 private bedrooms, communal spaces, a tutoring center, and a full kitchen staffed by culinary students from Lansing Community College. MSU architecture students helped design the renovation, emphasizing warmth, safety, and community integration.
Rocky, now executive director of the Izzo Legacy Family Fund, will oversee operations in partnership with local nonprofits. “We want Evergreen House to be more than a roof — we want it to be hope with walls,” she said, holding back tears.
Steven Izzo, who recently graduated and aims to work in NBA front offices, said his dad’s decision “wasn’t surprising — this is who he is behind the scenes.” The family has committed to covering the shelter’s first five years of operational costs through a combination of personal funding, alumni donations, and a newly announced Spartan Hope Gala scheduled for fall 2025.
Perhaps the most emotional moment came when Izzo met with the first future residents — six teens from the Lansing area who toured the house during renovations.
One of them, 17-year-old Malik, looked around the room and said, “I never thought a basketball coach would care about someone like me.”
Izzo simply responded:
“You matter. You always did. You just needed someone to build the locker room.”
Construction is expected to finish by March 2026 — poetic timing, just as Tom Izzo embarks on what he’s called “possibly my final March Madness.” Yet for many, this latest endeavor may become his most unforgettable championship run of all.
