Gov. Whitmer visits Detroit to push for more affordable housing

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made a stop in Detroit to talk about affordable housing in Michigan and her efforts in the legislature to build even more.

"Since 2019, we've helped build or fix more than 12,000 affordable homes across Detroit," said Whitmer.

The Governor is committed to keeping that momentum going. On Monday, she and state leaders made a stop at a newer apartment building off Winder Street to push the importance of affordable housing.

"The average first-time home buyer now is 40. They have to make almost $100k a year. There's just not enough housing, and what is available is just too expensive," Whitmer stated.

While the governor says the state has made progress and exceeded its goal of building 75,000 attainable homes a year, more needs to be done.

"In our state, we're still about 119,000 units short of where we need to be for today's population. So, we still have a lot of work to do," said Michigan State Housing Development Authority CEO and executive director Amy Hovey.

The governor is now calling on the legislature to create a state affordable housing tax credit and a collaboration to cut the red tape involving zoning. She says the goal is to build more homes and bring down the cost.

"Right now, we are the only state in our region without a state housing tax credit. For a little investment in our state, we're going to get a lot more from the federal government, resulting in an additional 2,600 units every single year," Hovey said. 

"This is not a crisis that's unique to Michigan; it is not one that will be solved overnight, but man, we're making great headway, and we can't slow down now," said Whitmer.