LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – In response to Michigan’s ongoing housing shortage, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) has released a new “Get Housing Ready” guide aimed at helping local governments attract development and remove barriers to building homes.
The guide is a follow-up to MSHDA’s Housing Readiness Incentive Grant Program, which distributed $8.5 million to 188 cities, villages, and townships across the state to assist with policy updates that support housing growth. With thousands of municipalities across Michigan, MSHDA officials say the new resource was developed to provide ongoing support beyond financial grants.
Josh Pugh, director of external affairs at MSHDA, said many communities continue to operate under outdated land use and zoning rules. “They were made 50 or more years ago for a very different housing market, a very different type of community,” Pugh said. “We wanted to think about what we could do more… other tools that we could put in the hands—other than money—to help them get housing ready.”
The “Get Housing Ready” guide features six sections, offering strategies related to property inventory, zoning reform, financial tools, community engagement, development education, and infrastructure streamlining. It is designed to be a flexible resource that municipalities can adapt to their own needs.
Pugh said the shortage is especially acute in parts of the Upper Peninsula. “We’re about 119,000 units short, and that’s about 5,000 units in the Upper Peninsula. The problem is actually a little bit worse in the U.P. than it is in the Lower Peninsula,” he said.
The guide also emphasizes the importance of local control, encouraging communities to shape their own solutions while making use of tools and best practices shared by the state.
MSHDA worked with the Michigan Municipal League and regional partners to develop the resource, which is now available for download on the agency’s website.
