GRAND RAPIDS, MI (WTVB) – Governor Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten
convened a roundtable discussion in Grand Rapids on Monday to address Michigan’s severe housing shortage and rising costs.
Describing the crisis as an “all-hands-on-deck” effort, Whitmer highlighted the state’s progress in building or rehabilitating over 87,000 housing units but emphasized that more must be done to meet the target of 115,000 by late 2026.
Scholten said that entry-level home prices have surged by approximately 126%, leaving many residents over-burdened as the average income fails to keep pace with the $205,000 cost of a starter home.
Whitmer, whose administration has taken credit for already reducing the housing shortage by 84,000, highlighting other plans like a tax break for seniors with property.
The leaders discussed a suite of proposed policies aimed at increasing supply, including a new state-level affordable housing tax credit to incentivize developers and bipartisan legislation to streamline local zoning.
Whitmer urged lawmakers to “cut red tape” by ending bans on duplexes and in-law suites, while Scholten pointed to federal factors like tariffs, which can add an estimated $17,000 to $22,000 to the cost of a new home as significant barriers.
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