Governor Whitmer toured Hope Village in the 100 block of Garden Street Southeast. That’s where 16 tiny homes are being built by a subsidiary of Mel Trotter Ministries called Next Step. It offers skilled trades training to people overcoming addiction and homelessness.
“It kind of combines the best of everything and that’s why I was really glad that we as the state, MSHDA, could be one the partners, but there are a lot of partners that make something like this come together.”
During her tour, the governor spoke about affordable housing challenges facing the state. Currently, Michigan is short 140,000 homes.
In 2024, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority supported the construction, rehabilitation, and purchase of over 700 homes in Kent County, making it the fastest growing region in the state.
“In the last few years, we’ve done more than the whole eight years prior, which shows we are really throwing our foot down on the accelerator. We don’t have time to waste. More people need affordable housing and housing options, and this is just one piece of the solution.”
According to a 2022 Housing Next Assessment, Kent County needs an additional 35,000 housing units by 2027 to keep up with demand.
