Whitmer Awards Grants to 33 Local Governments and Nonprofits to Upgrade Housing Infrastructure

Press Release

Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer awarded more than $1.7 million in Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) grants to 33 local governments and nonprofit groups to help residents make home repairs, energy efficiency upgrades, and neighborhood amenity improvements. The funding comes on the heels of an historic announcement from Governor Whitmer to launch the first-ever Statewide Housing Plan to create or preserve 75,000 housing units, increase homeownership and reduce homelessness, and lower utility costs for residents by upgrading energy infrastructure in homes and apartments.

"Every Michigander deserves a safe, affordable place to call home and a vibrant community that they can be proud of," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. "Today's Neighborhood Enhancement Program grants will help local officials and nonprofits complete home repairs, make energy efficiency upgrades, and fund neighborhood amenity projects. Since I took office, my administration has delivered on the kitchen-table issues that matter most to working families, including building nearly 12,000 affordable, attainable housing units, funding home repairs to improve efficiency, helping with utility bills, and more. Let's keep working together to get it done."

The governor's Building Michigan Together plan includes a historic investment in Michigan's infrastructure and allocated $654 million to Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) to support the COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) program and the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF). Of the funds allocated, $50 million went to the Neighborhood Enhancement Program to expand energy efficiency and housing improvements across the state.

The funding will be distributed to 11 local units of government and 22 nonprofit agencies serving both urban and rural communities. Each grantee demonstrated a level of need in their communities and proposed projects that will make a significant difference in the community while promoting and increasing neighborhood stability.

"This funding is essential for communities across the state to deploy projects that will invoke positive change and improve the lives of residents," said Tonya Joy, Neighborhood Housing Initiatives Division director.

The NEP provides funding for an array of small-scale single family home rehabilitation activities like roofs, siding, windows, doors, accessibility improvements. Up to 50% of the funding also can go toward public amenity activities like park improvements, basketball courts, and more.

Residents of the communities can expect to see neighborhood improvements as early as this summer and fall as projects funded by the grants should be complete by December 31, 2022.

The grant awardees are:

Grant Awardee

County

Grant Amount

Alcona County

Alcona

$75,000

Allen Neighborhood Center

Ingham

$60,000

Bridging Communities, Inc.

Wayne

$25,000

Capital Area Housing Partnership

Ingham

$50,000

Central Detroit Christian CDC

Wayne

$70,000

City of Beaverton

Gladwin

$40,000

City of Dowagiac

Cass

$75,000

City of Eaton Rapids

Eaton

$75,000

City of Hastings

Barry

$75,000

City of Ironwood

Gogebic

$45,000

City of Lapeer

Lapeer

$49,493

City of Three Rivers

St. Joseph

$50,000

City of Vassar

Tuscola

$50,000

Court Street Village Non-Profit Housing Corp.

Genesee

$50,000

Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency

Gogebic

$30,000

Grandmont/Rosedale Development Corporation

Wayne

$37,500

Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley

Washtenaw

$25,000

Hope Village Revitalization

Wayne

$50,000

Jefferson East Incorporated

Wayne

$75,000

LifeBUILDERS

Wayne

$75,000

Metro Community Development Inc.

Genesee

$75,000

NCCS Center for Nonprofit Housing

Newaygo

$25,000

Neighborhoods Incorporated of Battle Creek

Calhoun

$75,000

New Development Corporation

Kent

$50,000

New Hope CD Nonprofit Hsg Corp

Wayne

$75,000

Sinai-Grace Guild Community Development Corporation

Wayne

$25,000

Southwestern Michigan Urban League

Calhoun

$75,000

Venture, Inc.

Oakland

$22,500

Village of Cassopolis

Cass

$75,000

Village of Mancelona

Antrim

$30,000

Wayne County Land Bank Corporation

Wayne

$50,000

Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency

Wayne

$50,000

Woodbridge Neighborhood Development Corporation

Wayne

$60,000

Building Michigan Together Plan Housing Investments

Governor Whitmer's Building Michigan Together Plan will fund the construction of thousands of affordable, attainable housing units to give thousands of working families a stable foundation to pursue their potential. It will also help over 100,000 families stay in their homes with mortgage and rental assistance and finance energy-efficient home repairs, lowering costs for Michiganders.

Governor Whitmer's Housing Investments

Since taking office, the Whitmer-Gilchrist Administration has made several investments to help families find a place to call home. The administration helped thousands of families buy homes with the Down Payment Assistance Program and MI Home Loan Mortgage Program, provided services through the Housing Education Program to encourage homeownership and assist homeowners with the transition to new housing, and supported families with the Step Forward Michigan Homeowners Assistance Fund, a mortgage foreclosure prevention program to help families stay in their homes.

The governor also proposed funding for home repair and plumbing improvements for low-income households and encouraged housing developers to meet higher levels of sustainability commitments and energy efficiency by shifting construction of new units near amenities essential to healthy living like parks, grocery stores, and more.

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