Affordable Housing Resources
Shared Struggles with Affordable Housing
When I first moved to this great country, I arrived with $20 in my pocket. I lived a life where I was unsure of my next meal and worried about keeping a roof over my head.
As a teaching assistant during my first years here, I experienced poverty and homelessness. I was making just $300 a month and sending back $75 of that home to my family so they could put food on the table.
At one point, I saved up and bought a car for $200. That car became my own “affordable housing.”
I lived off of the generosity of NGOs and government programs, and now I want to be sure those funds get to the people who need them most.
Stable, affordable housing is critical to the foundation of our community. Without it, working families will be forced out of the homes and neighborhoods they’ve always been a part of. This would have a serious negative effect on the stability and health of our local economy.
When I’ve spoken to my constituents, every age and income bracket has concerns about the cost of housing in our community. Soaring rent and home prices are threatening to uproot families and disrupt the culture of our great city.
It’s my priority to pass sensible legislation in Washington that protects programs that work for working families, especially when it comes to putting a roof over their heads.
WHAT I’M DOING IN WASHINGTON
Alongside these federal, state, and local resources, I am working to make changes to the law for the benefit of both our state and the nation.
Cosponsored H.R.3238 - Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2023
- Increases the per capita dollar amount of the credit and its minimum ceiling amount beginning in 2023 and extends the inflation adjustment for such amounts.
- Modifies tenant income eligibility requirements and the average income formula for determining such income. It also revises rules for student occupancy of rental units and tenant voucher payments and prohibits any refusal to rent to victims of domestic abuse.
Cosponsored H.R.6721 - Rent Relief Act of 2023
- Allows a refundable income tax credit for individuals who pay rent for a principal residence that exceeds 30% of their adjusted gross income for the taxable year.
Cosponsored H.R.4233 - Housing Crisis Response Act of 2023
- Invests $150 billion in fair and affordable housing, creating nearly 1.4 million affordable homes and lowering rent for nearly 300,000 households
- Addresses the racial wealth gap by investing in first-time, first-generation home buyers.
Cosponsored H.R.4232 - Ending Homelessness Act of 2023
- Transforms the Housing Choice Voucher program into a federal entitlement, meaning every qualified household would automatically receive the benefit.
- Bans discrimination based on source of income and/or veteran status.
Cosponsored H.R.4231 - The Downpayment Toward Equity Act
- Help address racial wealth and homeownership gaps by investing $100 billion in direct assistance to cover down payments, closing costs, and mortgage interest rates for first-time, first-generation homebuyers.
Affordable Housing Resources
My Telephone Town Hall with Special Guests from the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Click Here to watch the recording of my telephone town hall with special guests James Cunningham, Deputy Regional Administrator and Michael Polsinelli, Michigan Field Office Director of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Affordable Housing Locator
Click Here to use the HUD affordable housing resource locator.
Click Here to use the City of Detroit affordable housing locator.
Contact HUD Detroit
For any further questions about the federal programs available to people in our district, please refer to this list compiled by the Michigan HUD office.
Click Here to access the HUD Resource List.
Click Here for the Community Development Housing Grant Application
Detroit Field Office
McNamara Federal Building
477 Michigan Avenue, Floors 16 & 17
Detroit, MI 48226
Phone: (313) 226-7900
Fax: (313) 226-5611
TTY: (313) 226-6899
Michael L. Polsinelli, Field Office Director
Contact the Director's Office
Office Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday
Project-Based Voucher Lists
The Project Based Voucher (PBV) program is a component of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's (MSHDA) Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program. You cannot apply online to a project-based voucher waiting list. Only a Lead Agency assigned to the property can determine your initial eligibility for placement on a waiting list. For county listings of Project Based Developments and contact information, visit the following page: Project Based Developments.
City of Detroit Housing Resources
For additional programs related to housing and finance from the city of Detroit, please refer to the housing stability resources for both renters and homeowners.
Housing Stability Resources PDF
Detroit Home Connect (detroitmi.gov)
Homelessness Resources
If homeless or in imminent danger of becoming homeless in the City of Detroit, call 311. Outside of the city, call 211.
In addition, if you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park, or Hamtramck, please contact Detroit’s Coordinated Assessment Model (CAM), which will assist with housing or shelter placement. They can be reached at 313-305-0311.