Mental health, homelessness and housing were issues headlining 2025’s Policy Conference.
“It’s about talking about a lot of the things that shape the business community, how we get to work, how we build things, how we have more housing, and talk about some of the things that we’ve done or need to do to incrementally get better at a lot of that.”
Joshua Lunger is Vice President for Government Affairs for the Grand Rapids Chamber. He says an incremental state housing tax is benefitting area housing development and transforming commercial space.
“We’re highlighting an office conversion which is something that’s really challenging to do. From vacant office, we’re creating new opportunities for people to live there.”
Lunger also says a key concern among community members is the state of the hospitality industry. Since January, at least eight area restaurants and breweries have permanently closed.
“Just like everything else, there’s not one solution. It’s about how do we just keep showing up. Whether that’s making sure that the environment is conducive to their growth or trying to think of how we attract more people to the workforce. It’s a messy puzzle and we’re trying to build it.”
