Michigan has 1.1 million renter households, and according to the 2024 Michigan Statewide Housing Needs Assessment, more than half struggle to pay rent.
For those making $25,000 a year or less, there’s a shortage of nearly 125,000 affordable housing units, and the shortage forces low-income renters into more expensive properties, creating financial hardship.
David Allen with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority co-authored the assessment in partnership with researchers at the University of Michigan. He believes there are a few reasons for the crisis.
“If you take a look at various markets around the state, there’s been a lot more rent growth than there had been previous to this,” Allen said. “Higher demand is certainly one of them. Another factor that you might want to take a look at too is the amount of new product that is being brought to the market, I think especially in the rental side of things.”
The 2024 Michigan housing assessment reveals that more than half of those who rent in the state are living above their means, paying more than 30% of their income on housing costs.
Allen says there are multiple remedies to the housing problem, including making new construction of affordable housing units and other units in the state easier by rethinking some of the zoning laws.
