Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced a new effort to reduce housing and energy costs in Michigan.
Speaking at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday, Whitmer said her administration is increasing its goals for constructing or rehabbing homes in the state. The previous goal, announced in her State of the State address, was 75,000 units of affordable housing by September of 2026. However, that’s now been raised to 115,000.
Whitmer said this has to happen for state residents.
“Our housing supply is not where it needs to be for several reasons,” Whitmer said. “A decade-long slowdown in construction following the 2008 recession and a lack of state investment. So, now we are raising our goal because we’ve been exceeding our targets.”
Regarding energy, Whitmer announced an initiative to get more efficient appliances into homes and increase home energy savings.
“Thanks to our partners in the Biden-Harris administration, we have $367 million headed our way for home energy rebates and solar for all programs to lower household energy costs. With these resources, we’ll help more than 18,000 low-income families install solar in their houses or in their communities.”
Whitmer’s office said Wednesday that since she took office, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority has invested twice as much in housing as the last administration, building, rehabbing, or financing 34,000 homes.
As part of the Statewide Housing Plan, MSHDA has created the Housing Readiness Incentive Grant program, providing $5 million to support cities, villages, and townships eliminating regulations to encourage more housing construction.
