Housing Ready Program

Housing Ready Program

 

“Boots on the Ground in your Community"

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.

The goal of this program is to partner with local units of government and organizations to put “boots on the ground” that can help make the community what we call “housing ready.” 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, and Housing North is coordinating partners and local funders with a goal to make it happen in at least two other counties. Click here to view the housing ready checklist.

  • 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, a non-profit organization. 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, to create affordable and workforce housing to meet the shifting housing demands.

    The Housing Ready Program Director facilitates the three communities’ Housing Solutions Teams and effectuates 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. Also, the Program staff provide stewardship for other housing conservancy efforts. Steve Schnell is the Charlevoix County Housing Ready Program Director and works full time in Charlevoix County working with the County and coordinating 3 housing groups. Click here to contact Steve.

  • The 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.

  • In 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 work group. The goal is to have someone in the position by Spring of 2022.

  • Housing practitioners in Manistee County have raised $65,000 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 are forming a Housing Action Committee to coordinate housing efforts in Manistee County. The goal is to have someone in the position by Spring of 2022.

Accessory Dwelling Unit Program

 

#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.

Charlevoix County Housing Solutions Fund

 

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. 

Questions

Call or email Steve Schnell, Charlevoix County Housing Ready Program Director at 231-330-7070 or email steve@housingnorth.org.

Funding

This program is in partnership with the Charlevoix County Community Foundation.

Charlevoix
County Deed Restriction Program

 

The City of Charlevoix has been proactively creating more housing opportunities with a focus on year-round housing and workforce housing. The Deed Restriction Program was initiated from discussions with the Charlevoix Housing and Business Park Initiative and the many partners working to address the need for year-round housing. This will ensure that our important workforce can grow and remain in the community. The program will help balance the housing market that is faced with a growing percent of the existing housing stock that are summer homes or vacation rentals. Currently, only 38% of homes in the City are principal residences.

  • The program was launched in April 2020

  • 5 Deed Restrictions are held by Housing North, 3 in 2020 and 2 in 2021

  • 50% is a goal for the City of Charlevoix to reach for year-round housing. Currently they are at 38%

  • Right now we are accepting donations of deed restrictions to a current or prospective property owner to voluntarily agree to require the residence to be inhabited only by year-round residents. This is a voluntary program and when there is a funding source, cash can be negotiated with each property owner and based on an assessment of the property.

    As part of some programs in the City of Charlevoix, for any property owner of an existing home or apartments, the deed restriction program can provide cash in exchange for an agreement to always require the housing unit to be inhabited by year-round residents.

    This cash can be used to purchase a property that will participate in this program or do improvements to an existing property. This program can provide much needed cash to do a renovation project, invest in an Accessory Dwelling Unit all with the goal to keep people in their homes.

    To donate to this program, click here.

  • The initial funds that created this program were private donations to a fund administered by the Charlevoix County Community Foundation. The stewardship of this program is managed by Housing North, a regional non-profit. Annual compliance requirements exist and are administered by the Charlevoix County Housing Ready Program Director under Housing North.

  • Please contact Steve Schnell, Charlevoix County Housing Ready Program Director at steve@housingnorth.org and by phone at 231-330-7070. Housing North is proud and excited to be a partner in this groundbreaking program, the first of its kind in Michigan.