Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund (MHCDF)

thegateway
Imagine the effect of a large vacant high school immediately downtown without the funding that will transform it into senior apartments. (Fremont)

Michigan’s Housing and Community Development Fund (MHCDF)’s mission is to develop our state’s economy by creating vibrant cities, towns and villages. Creating strong communities where people can prosper and businesses can grow will keep our workers and our jobs where they belong: in Michigan.

The fund was created to support the development and coordination of public and private resources to meet the affordable housing needs of low-income households and revitalize downtown areas and neighborhoods in Michigan.

westvillagemanor
MHCDF enabled LAND Inc. to purchase West Village Manor and get additional funding to renovate previously vacant retail spaces. The renovations attracted new businesses and jobs. (Detroit)

MHCDF was funded for one year in 2008 as a general appropriation, but was subsequently cut by the legislature in the following year. In 2012, $3.7 million from the Homeowner Protection Fund was allocated to the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund for another round of one-time funding. Unfortunately, only 9 projects out of the 65 submitted were able to receive funding due to the limited resources of the MHCDF.

Michigan needs a larger and more stable funding source to continue funding projects that strengthen our neighborhoods and communities.

 

Read about Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund history and projects here.Watch episode fifteen of The Bright Side for videos of development made possible by the MHCDF.

See the MHCDF 2008 Annual Report to find out what projects were funded, what the economic impact of the fund was and what private investment it leveraged.

Find more information on housing trust funds and how they are funded and implemented in other states on the Center for Community Change’s Housing Trust Fund Project website.