As part of the Make it in Michigan Strategy, the state of Michigan has new finance tools and opportunities to convert vacant land into housing via the Transformational Brownfield Fund and tax increment funding. The State Land Bank Authority and Michigan Community Capital are working with state, local, and federal organizations to develop attainable workforce housing in their communities.
Established by Governor Whitmer, the Growing Michigan Together Council works to develop a long-term plan of action to address many issues of concern across the state. Different goals include jobs, talent, and people; infrastructure and places; PreK-12 and higher education, and revenue. Block by Block spoke with the Executive Director of the Growing Michigan Together Council and Michigan’s first Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe, and Melvin Henley at Community Economic Development Association of Michigan to hear about the council’s report.
As Kent County grows faster than the rest of the state, the community looks at ways to address its ongoing housing shortages. Through government entities, upcoming developers like Housing Next, and seasoned community development financial institutions like IFF, Grand Rapids has a collaborative plan in place to address the issue.
The FHLBank of Indianapolis provides impactful resources for communities in Michigan and provides home repair programs and additional resources to homeowners via lenders like1st State Bank in Saginaw and Metro Community Development Corporation in Flint.
Block by Block spoke with Lansing and Detroit organizations on how they’re addressing the need for single-family housing in their communities. Building Community Value, based in Detroit, and the Capital Area Housing Partnership, based in Lansing, share their perspectives of the needs and how their resources are serving as building blocks for a better housing ecosystem.
Citizens Research Council, Michigan Municipal League, and Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation weigh in on state's housing needs, regional, minority-driven resources, and development within individual communities.
Block by Block spoke with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Housing North, and Communities First about how individual communities are working together to tackle the specific housing needs of their residents. For the first time ever, the state of Michigan released a statewide coordinated, comprehensive housing plan, working with stakeholders across the housing sector
The Community Economic Development Association of Michigan is addressing the demand for affordable housing across the state. It’s real estate development boot camp provides tools and training for developers and community members within their neighborhoods.
MI Mental Health spoke with Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Chief Operations Officer Joanie Blamer and Sanilac County Community Mental Health CEO Wil Morris on addressing the mental health and wellness needs of rural communities.
“The state of Michigan has realized that this is a ‘do or die’ moment with this economic and technological transformation of the automotive industry and related industries,” says University of Toronto Professor Richard Florida. It's one of the reasons he is part of a group working closely with universities, cities, and stakeholders to build better, more vibrant, sustainable cities in our state.
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