Getting Involved in Housing Solutions

Guest Opinion

By Yarrow Brown | Sept. 23, 2023

Take a drive around northwest Michigan, and you’ll notice there is a lot of residential development happening. It seems overwhelming to see such growth—I get it. But I also believe if we do not engage, learn, and collaborate to address this important issue, we won’t make sensible progress, and we will see our community change in a way that won’t protect our natural resources or help the community thrive.

There is an urgent need to bolster the capacity of our rural communities, enabling them to address not only the housing crisis but also to engage in well-planned economic development that aligns with community needs. We have a lot to learn, and there is a lot of misinformation out there about zoning reform and who can help solve the housing crisis. There is not one answer or one solution. We have a huge need for housing in our region, and we need everyone to be involved.

Earlier this year, Housing North released the Housing Needs Assessment for our region. The data is daunting: It pointed out the very low vacancy rates—0.7 percent—we have for housing throughout our region. It made it very clear that while we are growing as a region, we are also aging and losing our younger workforce that contributes to our economy and our communities.

The data also showed that we have a huge imbalance between what people make and what housing price points are available. If you are a single wage earner making $60,000/year or less in our region, it is impossible to find housing that is affordable, let alone available.

A five-year housing gap analysis showed we need 8,813 rental units and 22,455 for sale units across the income spectrum. Some of these are market rate, or for those making above 120 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). That adds up to over 31,000 units. For those making 0-120 percent of the AMI, we need 24,722 total units—almost 25,000 for our 10-county region.

If we are going to make a dent in these numbers, we need to get everyone on board and use many different approaches and creative solutions and ideas. We have an opportunity to address these issues and to collaborate and work together as a region and a community with the ninth annual Northwest Michigan Housing Summit Oct. 25-27. (Visit housingnorth.org to learn more.)

We are fortunate to have a local event where those who are passionate about housing or working in housing attend to learn, collaborate, and connect. (I am biased, being the one putting on the summit for the fourth year now since I started at Housing North in 2020.) However, I do believe it is a great opportunity for our region to learn from others throughout the state and country and to keep the momentum going on the huge task ahead of us.

I am grateful for Networks Northwest, Sarah Lucas, and the visionaries behind the creation of this important event nine years ago. The summit has evolved, adapting to the virtual landscape, and now finding its home at downtown Traverse City’s Park Place Hotel—a fitting location to highlight the city’s ongoing developments while discussing the findings and recommendations from the 2023 Housing Needs Assessment for our region.

Some of the recommendations and potential solutions will be presented at the Housing Summit. A Zoning Atlas Pilot project—created by a partnership between Housing Next, Michigan Association of Planners, and the University of Michigan—will depict key aspects of zoning codes in an online, user-friendly map. We will have a workshop on Housing Trust Funds and two workshops led by Incremental Development Alliance on proformas (the numbers behind the project) and site planning (how to choose a housing site in your community).

The summit also provides locals an opportunity to learn, share, and bring ideas back to your community to ensure there is a place for everyone to have a safe and healthy home. You can meet with local elected officials, community members, developers, community foundations, chambers of commerce, and more. You can ask questions at the Legislative Happy Hour or attend the workshop on the new programs and Statewide Housing Partnership through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). You can learn about the Regional Housing Plan created for our area and how you can be involved in implementing the plan.

I am a firm believer in local advocacy that is positive and helps inform and engage everyone. You can also join your local housing action group or team or participate in a Regional Housing Partnership working group to inform our region’s plan. Either way, I hope you will reach out, stay connected, and keep an open mind so everyone who wants to live in northwest Michigan year-round can have a safe and healthy home.

Yarrow Brown is the executive director of Housing North, a 10-county housing agency serving northwest Michigan.