On September 4th, 2024 the Winter Shelter Task Force presented to County Commissioners about shelter and warming center response plans for the upcoming winter season.  The recording of the presentation as well as the full session can be watched here. The presentation slide deck can be viewed here.

The Task Force is a collaboration of over 25 individuals from close to 20 organizations and county offices who participate in the County’s Continuum of Care.  It was created in April 2023 to:

• Help analyze existing data and programs for winter shelter,

• Research best practices for providing winter shelter in our Michigan climate,

• Develop strategies and recommendations, and

• Identify funding necessary to provide winter sheltering for all populations.

Following the Task Force's presentation last October, County Commissioners passed a resolution to support additional investments in homeless programs for that upcoming winter.  WHA was grateful for the passing of the $2.18M resolution which supported investments in eviction prevention and shelter diversion, winter shelter staffing and support, and short-term hoteling.  Thank you to everyone who supported our call for advocacy to help get this resolution passed!

On May 20th, the Ann Arbor City Council approved amendments to its FY 2025 City Budget.  One significant amendment passed was to renew the Rising Hope for Housing Program through the appropriation of $500,000 from the FY 2025 Marijuana Excise Tax Rebate. This is existing news! Not only is the program renewed for a second year, but its funding allocation was increased by $100,000.

At the May meeting, Councilmember Harrison shared: “This year we are requesting an additional $100,000 from the Marijuana Excise Tax revenue, bringing our total to $500,000 for this program. As demand grows so must our support. The [Rising Hope Program] aiding those returning citizens fighting homelessness and recidivism is set to expand. We must meet this demand head on… We’ve heard the powerful voices of returning citizens and dedicated organizations. They’ve told us that sustainable funding is essential for continuous, effective support. Securing this funding will help us uphold our commitment to building a strong and inclusive community and continue to make meaningful and lasting impacts.”

The program’s renewal allows for grant partners A Brighter Way, Catholic Social Services Offender Success, Shelter Association of Washtenaw County, and SOS Community Services to continue providing comprehensive trauma-informed supportive services and case management for justice-impacted households who have housing choice vouchers. Separately, the Ann Arbor Housing Commission (AAHC) is the funding administrator and the WHA assists in facilitating coordination of the grant.

The Rising Hope for Housing program is open to receive referrals. For more information and to see if you may qualify, please check out the flyer below.

Rising Hope for Housing Flyer for those applying (pdf)

Sign on here.

It is going to take all of us working together to end homelessness in our community. Pledge your commitment to advocate and fight for affordable housing in Washtenaw County.

Sign up here.

The Advocacy & Communications Committee is vital in supporting the WHA’s local, state, and federal advocacy actions as well as amplifying communication alerts. This committee typically meets virtually several times in the year.

Thank you Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness and Rent Is Too Damn High for organizing the Housing Homestretch Campaign!

There have been 60 housing-related bills introduced this legislative session in Michigan, but only 1 has passed. We have less than 37 days left in the Senate calendar (22 days in the House) to get 7 priority bills passed or else they start over from the beginning and must be reintroduced in the new session.

How to get involved in the Homestretch Campaign?

1. Sign on to support the campaign here: tinyurl.com/mtm7tr5b

2. Ask friends / family / neighbors / organizations to sign on to the campaign too!

3. Send a message to your legislators to urge their support of passing these 7 priorities bills before the end of the year. Find your rep at michiganvotes.org/legislators. Use the Housing Homestretch Email Template when reaching out to your electeds.

Stay tuned for more next steps on how we can keep the momentum going in the Fall and get these bills passed!

We are getting closer to sending the Source Of Income protection bills to the Michigan Governor for signing into state law!

Thanks to everyone’s advocacy, the Michigan House passed House Bills 4062 and 4063 and Senate Bills 205, 206, and 207 on June 26th, 2024! The three (3) senate bills amend the Landlord Tenant Act and the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act to prohibit housing discrimination on the basis of a legal source of income. Join us in thanking MI House Representatives Jason Morgan and Jennifer Conlin, and MI Senators Jeff Irwin, Rosemary Bayer, and Mary Cavanagh for sponsoring these bills and committing to seeing them passed in the House! Now the bills must pass in the MI Senate again before being brought to the Governor for signing. We are hopeful this will happen before the end of this legislative session.

Currently, Michigan law has no clear prohibition against a landlord refusing to accept Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs), veterans’ benefits, alimony, MDHHS cash assistance, or SSI/SSDI as part of a person’s legal total combined income.  Enacting statewide source of Income protections changes this by protecting Michigan renters from discrimination based on their source of income.  Michigan may soon join 17 other states, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia, by protecting renters’ civil rights throughout the state, no matter where they choose to live. The WHA, Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness (MCAH), and the Coalition for Expanding Housing Access (CEHA) have supported this legislation for over three (3) years and are incredibly grateful the bills are another step closer to being enacted in 2024.

On May 8th, 2024 the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety heard testimony on Senate Bill 801, a bill that would provide evictions sealing and expungement for tenants in Michigan. Then on May 21st, following the bill's second hearing, it was favorably reported without amendment out of Committee and referred to the Committee of the Whole.

If Michigan passes this bill in both chambers and sign into state law, then we will join 12 other states which have already enacted sealing and/or expungement protections for tenants. These types of protections have shown to be effective interventions for reducing the impacts of eviction. Read the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness' factsheet for additional information on the bill.

Support SB 801 by contacting your MI Senator TODAY! Find your Senator here.

The WHA created the video Improving the Tenant Experience in Michigan to highlight what more can be done to improve a tenant's housing experience in our state.  Certainly more affordable housing is needed, but so too are laws to protect tenants from "junk fees" when applying for or renting housing or even to expunge their eviction records from long ago.

On October 17th, 2023 the WHA joined Nation Outside, Vera Institute, Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, Avalon Housing, A Brighter Way (ABW), and dozens of other organizations and individuals from across the state in advocating for House Bill 4878, the Michigan Fair Chance Access to Housing Act.  The bill aims to increase housing access for formerly incarcerated individuals, addressing the hurdles they face when seeking safe and affordable housing. Participants meet face to face with policy makers to educate them on the bill as well as showed up to rally on the Capitol steps.

Thank you to all the event organizers as well as Representative Abraham Aiyash (the bill’s sponsor) who spoke at the rally.  And, a very special shout out to Adam Grant at ABW who also spoke at the rally!

For more information on HB 4878 visit Nation Outside's website here.

Read recent progress update here.

In January 2024 MCTEH provided progress updates on its 2023-2025 State Action Plan.  The MCTEH Action Plan outlines six (6) key goals that establish the parameters for what it will take to work toward ending homelessness in Michigan over the next three (3) years.

On June 28th, 2024 the Supreme Court of the United States announced its decision in the case of Johnson v. Grants Pass. SCOTUS ruled in favor of the City of Grants Pass, Oregon. Under the ruling, localities will be able to arrest, ticket, and fine people for sleeping outdoors on public property, even if leaders have failed to produce enough affordable housing or shelter for everyone in the community who needs it. In her dissent, Justice Sotomayor stated, "...the majority focuses almost exclusively on the needs of local governments and leaves the most vulnerable in our society with an impossible choice: Either stay awake or be arrested."

“This decision sets a dangerous precedent that will cause undue harm to people experiencing homelessness and give free reign to local officials who prefer pointless and expensive arrests and imprisonment, rather than real solutions,” said Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH). Read NAEH's factsheet for more information about the importance (and cost savings) of investing in Housing First initiatives rather than inflict punishment on those experiencing homelessness.

There are many proven and data-backed solutions to homelessness, like providing people with housing and services. Arresting or otherwise punishing homeless folks is not a solution, and jails and fines make the cycle of homelessness worse. In response to the ruling, the National Homeless Law Center held a webinar to provide guidance on where we all go from here: watch here.

Take action here.

Racial inequities in all areas of life are deeply rooted in housing segregation, discrimination, and inequity.  The prominent power imbalance between renters and landlords puts renters at greater risk of housing instability, harassment, and homelessness, further fueling racial inequity.  Affordable, stable, and accessible housing and robust housing choice are necessary to foster just and equitable communities.  Keep urging your members of Congress to establish vital renter protections and advance policies addressing systemic racism and discrimination.

In January 2023 the Biden-Harris Administration released a statement of principles called "The White House Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights.”  It is a white-paper published by the Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council intended to support the development of policies and practices that promote fairness for tenants living in rental housing.  It is commendable to have these principals outlined by the Administration.  However, none are binding or constitute as current U.S. government policy.  It is vital to continue advocating for elected officials to strengthen and enforce renter protections within current federal, state, and local law.

As part of the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 2024 Housing Policy Forum, homeless and affordable housing advocates joined together to participate in Capitol Hill Day on March 21st, 2024. Close to 400 participants schedule as many as 200 meetings with their U.S Senators and Congressmembers.

The Washtenaw Housing Alliance joined 18 other staff from Michigan-based organizations to connect with our elected representatives. At the meetings we urged our reps to provide the highest possible funding for HUD’s vital affordable housing and homelessness programs in FY2025 as well as to cosponsor three (3) important Senate/House Bills highlighted in NLIHC’s Legislative Priorities for the year. In addition, we jumped into the audience for two press conferences happening on the Hill: the Renters Caucus announcement of the first-ever Renters Agenda and the relaunch of the Green New Deal for Public Housing.

Homes Guarantee is an historic campaign organizing for a National Tenant Bill of Rights.  Everyone living in the U.S. should have safe, accessible, sustainable, and permanently affordable housing: a Homes Guarantee. This includes tenants like renters, unhoused people, and mortgage holders.

What's your boldest vision for a National Tenants' Bill of Rights? Share your vision here. Want to host your own Imagination Session with friends, family and neighbors? Download the toolkit here.

NLIHC released a toolkit offering recommendations for lawmakers working to enact eviction record sealing and expungement legislation in their jurisdictions.  Read more and download the toolkit here.

NAEH provides the most important legislative priorities in real time.  Sign up for NAEH’s advocacy alerts here.

Fair Housing Center of South Central Michigan has several advocacy opportunities to support.  Consider volunteering as a civil rights tester or represent FHC as a cooperating attorney.  Find out more information at fhcmichigan.org/get-involved.

MCAH is helping to engage low-income and housing insecure individuals with registering to vote (registration application here). From 2010 to 2020, individuals earning over $100k were twice as likely to vote as individuals earning under $20k, and only around 10% of homeless individuals voted. Let’s make sure everyone’s voice is represented. Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th, 2024.

Voter registration deadlines in Michigan:

• Online registration deadline: 15 days before Election Day

• Register by mail deadline: Must be postmarked 15 days before Election Day

• In person registration deadline: Available up to and including on Election Day

County Commissioners passed a resolution to support additional investments in homeless programs for the 2023-2024 winter at their Wednesday, November 1st, 2023 meeting. WHA is grateful for the passing of the $2.18M resolution which will support investments in eviction prevention and shelter diversion, winter shelter staffing and support, and short-term hoteling. Thank you to everyone who supported our call for advocacy to help get this resolution passed! Read more…

On March 21st, 2023 the City of Ann Arbor’s Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the site plan for WHA member agencies’ Ann Arbor Housing Commission (AAHC) and Avalon Housing 70-unit mixed-use affordable housing development at 121 S. Catherine Street.  Read more here on the community engagement process that is guiding the property’s development in the historic Black business district in Kerrytown.

Ypsilanti City Council approved the second and final reading of the PILOT for the 206-210 N. Washington Street development on April 4th, 2023.  City Council’s approval enables Avalon Housing to move forward on their plans to bring 22 new one-bedroom apartments to this property site.  All units will be affordable and some are set to become supportive housing, providing built-in services like medical care, education and job training as well as transportation particularly for those exiting homelessness.  Developers expect to break ground in early 2024.

Read more on this exciting affordable housing project from The Michigan Daily: Everything you need to know about affordable housing at 121 Catherine St (February 19, 2024) and from MLive: Ann Arbor to break ground on Kerrytown affordable housing development in spring (February, 5, 2024).

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners reviewed and approved funding for seven (7) agencies to receive New Human Services Partnership (NHSP) - Safety Net grants (see the Resolution with award grants here).  Due to advocacy from WHA and our partners, the Board also approved new, continued funding for 6-months for agencies previously funded through the Coordinated Funding model and which were not recommended for NHSP awards. Here is the resolution, that was introduced and approved during that meeting, which provides the continued funding for agencies for another 6-months.

Ann Arbor City Council voted to allocate the $24M in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and as part of that package, they supported:

• $1M for housing for the homeless

• $3.5M for property acquisition for affordable housing, including up to $500,000 for supportive services for tenants

• $1.68M in additional funding for Coordinated Funding support

• As well as $3.5M for an unarmed police response, and $1.6M for a basic income pilot program!

In the same April session, City Council also voted to rezone the Old Y-Lot at 350 S. Fifth as a Planned United Development (PUD), making it possible to move forward with development that will create more new affordable housing units!

Ann Arbor voters passed the Affordable Housing Millage with 73% support!  Prop-C provides a 20-year, 1-mill tax for affordable housing and related services that will generate approximately $6.5M in funding.  It provides funding to create approximately 1,500 units of affordable housing, with a portion dedicated to those in need of permanent supportive housing.  Thank you to all who donated their time, talent and treasures to ensure the passage of Proposal C, including WHA staff, Board members, member agencies, volunteers, and supporters.  We also want to thank everyone involved with Partners for Affordable Housing for running an incredible campaign!