The state’s housing agency aims to dangle a carrot in front of local governments as part of an effort to spur more housing. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) on Thursday rolled out $5 million in grants to support the state’s cities, villages and townships in adopting or eliminating rules and regulations to encourage building more housing and making housing more affordable, according to a news release. The money is part of an effort “to solve problems that our local and regional partners have identified,” according to MSHDA Executive Director Amy Hovey.
A recent survey done by the University of Michigan’s Center for Local State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) and released in September found that around the state, 41% of local officials report a shortage of single-family housing in their communities, up from 23% in 2017. Meanwhile, 46% of those officials say they have a shortage of multi-family housing, up from 30% six years ago.