Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan shined the spotlight on an abundance of new and completed initiatives, such as crime and housing issues, in his 10th State of the City address Tuesday night. Hundreds sat inside the lobby of the Michigan Central Station, where Duggan recalled the history of the previously abandoned building that became an eyesore and national symbol of disrepair. The station in 1913 was of great beauty that "connected Detroiters to the world," Duggan said. But after its closure and years of decline, the city nearly demolished the iconic structure until the mayor negotiated with the Moroun family to give it a facelift. The Morouns, who owned the building, spent $4 million to install new windows, which "somebody called it putting lipstick on a pig," Duggan said. "When the windows went in, the effect on this city was electric. Everybody was talking about what that train station could be. " Since Ford Motor Co. acquired the building and set plans to build an innovation center, Duggan compared the city to Silicon Valley, highlighting several other automaker investments in the city, such as GM's all-electric Factory Zero and Waymo's self-driving vehicle assembly. Here are other main takeaways of his speech. More: Duggan unveils his plan to reduce gun violence at 2023 State of the City speech More: Watch replay: Mayor Mike Duggan delivers 10th State of the City Reducing crime The mayor launched a $10-million American Rescue Plan Act funded program dubbed "Shotstoppers" to help community organizations reduce shootings and homicides in neighborhoods. The program will provide $700,000 per year to organizations in a two-year contract and groups that show they successfully reduced crime will receive an additional $700,000 per year to expand their services. Organizations can submit proposals online . Tax breaks Duggan defended tax abatements for large-scale projects, saying they are central to bringing investments into the city. The mayor pointed to tax abatements helping develop the Hudson's site, Cadillac Stamping Plant and District Detroit's $1. 5-billion mixed-use project. "How many times have you heard, 'All the Ilitches have are these vacant parking lots,' " Duggan said regarding the District Detroit development. "They realized for something of this magnitude, you need a whole other developer. " He praised billionaire developer Stephen Ross for his partnership on the project and investing $100 million into the Detroit Center for Innovation . Duggan further defended abatements by recalling then-Mayor Coleman Young's stance, who said: " 'I make no apologies for tax abatements. The 116 companies that have received abatements have invested nearly $500 million of their own money in Detroit. ' " Cleaning up Detroit The city has a 10-step plan to improve neighborhoods. It includes cleaning 1,000 alleys, removing trash dumped in neighborhoods, weekly bulk trash pickup, replacing broken sidewalks and expanding the Neighborhood Beautification Program with $500 to $15,000 grants to improve Land Bank properties. The plan also includes renovating abandoned houses for low-income families, providing legal help for homeowners to transfer wealth to heirs, replacing roofs for 2,000 low-income seniors and residents with disabilities, planting 90,000 flowers in neighborhoods and transforming 27 miles of illegal dumping sites into the Joe Louis Greenway. Affordable housing and evictions Officials launched several affordable housing and eviction prevention initiatives. Councilmembers sponsored Right to Counsel , an eviction defense program and a $203-million plan to stabilize housing. "There's no issue on which we've been more united than affordable housing," Duggan said. The city prevented 10,000 evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and helped another 20,000 families with back rent, the mayor said. He also highlighted the preservation of 7,911 affordable housing units with 2,000 underway. Duggan also promises to commit 600 more affordable units on 13 different properties across the city. Eliminating abandoned homes Shifting toward eliminating privately owned abandoned houses is taking priority. The city plans to demolish at least 5,000 and is taking legal action on those that can be salvaged. The city in 2014 had 47,000 vacant houses and this year, 7,000 houses remain. Proposal N, a $250-million bond, addresses some of the demolitions and stabilizations. Last year, the city rehabbed 2,181 houses and demolished 1,974, Duggan said. At least 200 houses are sold a month through buildingdetroit. org . The mayor's aims to demolish or have abandoned houses occupied by the end of 2025. Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact Dana: dafana@freepress. com or 313-635-3491. Follow her on Twitter: @DanaAfana . .