Housing Ready Program
Building Capacity: “Boots on the ground in your community”
Housing Ready Program
A key ingredient missing in most rural communities is community development staff that can work with developers to coordinate partners, incentives, funding, and development opportunities. Communities themselves recognize this gap as well and have been working with Housing North to find solutions. The HOUSING READY PROGRAM, piloted in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties is a step towards this goal. A "housing ready" community is one in which there are opportunities for development that can create a variety of options for all people in the community. Click here and learn more about the Housing Ready Checklist.
How does the program work?
Housing North partners with local units of government and organizations to put “boots on the ground” to help make communities “housing ready.” Staff is hired to provide community development/technical assistance support to local governments, developers, and other partners relative to specific sites and projects. These individuals have diverse skill sets - including housing finance, planning/zoning, and development with the aim to build the region’s capacity and enable the organization and communities to build diverse strengths in support and achievement of local and regional goals.
Who can be a supporter or partner of the Program?
Anybody! Some of our partners include local governments, housing agencies, community housing networks, philanthropies, and any relevant stakeholder who wants to be part of the change and sustained growth of their community.
Which communities have joined the program?
With the Frey Foundation, Community Foundation, and local government support, both Charlevoix and Emmet counties have been able to hire highly qualified, locally based staff that are doing just that - identifying key housing opportunities, initiating and coordinating neighborhood-scale development, leveraging local resources, and spurring new housing investment. There’s a lot of interest in this approach in other communities like Manistee and Leelanau Counties. Housing North is coordinating partners and local funders with a goal to make it happen in other communities.
Charlevoix County Housing Ready Program
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The purpose of the Fund is to increase the supply of housing units in Charlevoix County across a variety of price points. The Fund works to achieve this purpose by being committed to mixed income neighborhoods and developments, increasing housing choice, and ensuring that development is compatible with local goals and objectives. The Fund focuses resources on barriers to projects at the pre-development stage and by partnering with others to leverage resources to address those barriers. The Fund will award grants to projects within Charlevoix County.
This program is in partnership with the Charlevoix County Community Foundation. Click here and download the application!
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#HomesMatter
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) are one of the many important housing solutions needed in Charlevoix County. They increase the supply and variety of housing options in what are typically single-family neighborhoods. They are sometimes called backyard cottages and they share many characteristics with small, detached homes. Given their smaller size and lack of additional land cost, ADUs can offer a more affordable housing option in neighborhoods where homes are out of reach for many people.
ADUs also support the housing needs of a wide range of households, like older adults looking to downsize, seniors with fixed incomes, lower- and middle-income households, homeowners with disabilities or other needs, and multigenerational families. Households can benefit from the flexibility, stability, or extra income that an ADU provides to meet their evolving household needs. Many people buy houses and live in them for years even though their actual needs change over time. ADUs can meet that evolving need for a family member or for a member of the local workforce or older adult.
To learn more about the ADU program, click here to download the toolkit.
The Charlevoix County Housing Ready Program has a goal of creating attainable housing opportunities within Charlevoix County, specifically within the cities of Boyne City, Charlevoix, and East Jordan. Partners in this goal are the County of Charlevoix, Charlevoix County Community Foundation, and the Frey Foundation. The Program operates as a function of Housing North. The Program is based in Charlevoix County working with local housing networks, city, county, and township officials, local philanthropy, private and nonprofit developers, employers, and other stakeholders to help Charlevoix County communities coordinate local housing initiatives and help in the development process. This Program supports the communities’ goals to create housing opportunities for all.
The Housing Ready Program Director facilitates the three communities’ Housing Solutions Teams and implements their Action Plans. All local stakeholders, including builders, school trades programs, local municipal Planning Commissions, realtors, and business owners, are involved in guiding the Program. These stakeholders are the strongest allies to help create housing opportunities. The Program Director provides technical assistance when zoning ordinances need to be amended and provides stewardship for other housing conservancy efforts. Housing North is currently hiring for the Housing Ready Program Coordinator position in Charlevoix County. Click here and learn more about the position and apply today!
Click here and watch the 2020 Year Review of the program in Charlevoix.
Emmet County Housing Ready Program
The Emmet Housing Ready Program Coordinator is the key agent of the Little Traverse Bay Housing Partnership in its efforts to expand market-driven solutions to make workforce housing affordable for all in Emmet County. The Program Coordinator is a catalyst and principal point of contact within the community for information, tools, and resources for initiatives to effectively address affordable housing shortages in Emmet County. Funding partners include the Petoskey Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation and the Frey Foundation. Andrea Jacobs is the Housing Ready Director for Emmet County, to contact Andrea click here.
Other communities on their way to becoming Housing Ready!
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In the Summer of 2021, the Leelanau County Housing Action Committee approved working with Housing North to fundraise for a Housing Ready Program director in Leelanau County. This spurred Housing North to apply for a Leelanau Township Community Foundation Grant and begin the fundraising strategy with a small workgroup.
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Housing practitioners in Manistee County have raised funds towards a Housing Ready Program Coordinator with support from the City of Manistee, Manistee County, United Way, The City of Manistee Housing Commission and the Manistee county Community Foundation. In partnership with Housing North, they formed a Housing Action Committee to coordinate housing efforts in Manistee County.