 Dear Friend,
Last month, I was excited to be in Grand Rapids to celebrate the groundbreaking of 16 new affordable homes and to announce a major milestone in our work to build housing across the state.
In 2021, we set a goal of building 75,000 homes in five years. Now, a full year ahead of schedule, we have achieved our goal. Last year, we raised the bar. I set a new goal for our statewide housing target—to build 115,000 units by September 2026. It’s an ambitious goal, but I know we can get it done.
We must keep our foot on the accelerator to build more housing and lower costs for Michiganders. Right now, it’s too hard for young people to afford a home. Whether they’re trying to buy their first house or just rent an apartment, the costs are too damn high. And too many Michiganders are spending more than half their income on rent or a mortgage. We need to fix that.
Housing is about so much more than just a roof over your head. Housing builds generational wealth and forms the foundation for success in school, work, and life. Housing is a serious challenge, and we are taking it seriously here in Michigan. Let’s continue to ‘build, baby, build’ so that every Michigander has an affordable place to call home.
Sincerely,
 Build, Baby, Build!
With increasing costs and high interest rates, it’s a difficult time to pay rent or buy a house, especially for first-time homebuyers and young people. Half of renters and a quarter of homeowners spend more than 30% of their pre-tax income on housing. The median age of homebuyers is at an all-time high, and the number of first-time homebuyers is at an all-time low. Unfortunately, these issues will only get worse because of current national tariffs on construction materials, which could add up to $22,000 to the cost of a new home.
Rising costs make it hard to afford housing, but they also underscore the root problem: there simply aren’t enough homes. We all need a safe, affordable place to call home, but we are facing a housing crisis driven by a lack of supply. The only way to bring prices down in the long run is to increase supply. Our response is simple: build, baby, build! By building more homes, we can drive down costs and make our neighborhoods better places to live, work, and invest.
Since I took office, we’ve built or rehabbed over 75,000 units, and we are not taking our foot off the accelerator. Alongside the MI State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), we have made the largest investment in housing in Michigan’s history— three years in a row. We’ve already helped thousands of middle-class families buy their first homes by paying up to $10,000 of their down payment or taking 1% off their mortgage interest rate. And we made it faster to build homes with practical, bipartisan legislation cutting red tape and making it easier to redevelop downtowns and main streets.
Although we have met our goal to build 75,000 housing units, we’re not done. Last year, I raised the bar for our statewide housing target—115,000 units by September 2026. That is a 53% increase.
Let’s get it done.
Lowering Costs for Homebuyers
The State of Michigan offers several programs to help reduce taxes and mortgage costs, as well as assist homebuyers with their down payment.
We are helping thousands of families buy homes through Down Payment Assistance and the MI Home Loan Mortgage Program. The MI Home Loan Mortgage program offers up to $10,000 in down payment assistance and is available to first-time homebuyers statewide and repeat homebuyers in targeted areas. All homebuyers work directly with a participating lender. To determine eligibility, please contact an experienced participating lender.
- Unlocking Tax Savings for Homebuyers
We are supporting first-time homebuyers statewide and repeat homebuyers in targeted areas through the Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) Program. The MCC Program provides housing assistance by issuing a federal tax credit of up to 20% of mortgage interest paid annually, capped at $2,000 per year. All homebuyers work directly with a participating lender. To find out if you are eligible, contact an approved MCC Lender.
Do you want to learn more about buying a home or do you have questions about achieving your housing goals? Check out MSHDA's Housing Education Program, which proudly supports a trusted network of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies, dedicated to helping you make confident, informed housing decisions. Each year, our HUD-certified counselors empower over six thousand Michigan households to achieve their goals, whether buying a home, seeking rental support, overcoming foreclosure, or building financial independence.
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