Detroit home repair programs only chip away at crisis

Table of Content

• Detroit news, founded by Detroiters
• New Detroit home repair program can fix 1,000 roofs. Nearly 5,000 Detroiters applied
• Benefits will start as early as June
• Community Partner Resources
• Detroit hosts Sacramento after overtime win
• White House to restart free COVID home testing program
• Rebuilding a better, bolder Detroit

In both areas, a greater share of Black households live in homes built before 1960. Homeowners will be chosen based on how long they've owned their home, their level of poverty exemption , the number of people in the house, and whether they are already on a wait list for home repairs or weatherization. The next phase, slated to launch in a year, is expected to provide additional repairs to another 500 homes. The city hasn't yet determined what that work will entail, but it may include electrical or plumbing repair, Duggan said. Beginning in March, applications will be available online and at a number of locations throughout the city, including Neighborhood Intake Centers, City of Detroit Neighborhood District Managers’ offices, and City of Detroit Recreation Centers. Applicants must complete the application and submit all required documents to a Neighborhood Intake Center.

Eligible Detroiter's homes are surveyed and scored based on what the house's condition is. After meeting the criteria, the most urgent need to the home will be considered for repair, said Zygmontowicz. State Rep. Tenisha Yancey said based on her experiences in 2017, an investment into Detroit residential houses was much needed, not on only just the roofs. "People have leaks coming in their house. When it rains, the animals get in their homes, get in their attics and everything," Jackson, 66, said.

Detroit news, founded by Detroiters

Dean was one of the first Detroiters to receive a new roof at no cost through Renew Detroit, a program funded with a portion of Detroit’s federal American Rescue Plan Act pandemic aid. If not for the program, Dean said she wouldn’t have been able to save enough money to replace the leaky roof. In the newest phase of the repair program, new window replacement is available to further assist home owners, said Joy. The new funding will be used for windows and roof replacement in the next three years. "This grant program will be transformative for homeowners residing within the city of Detroit. They will be able to make much-needed repairs to roofs, or windows that they otherwise may not be able to afford," Joy said.

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New Detroit home repair program can fix 1,000 roofs. Nearly 5,000 Detroiters applied

"We know that that's like the hardest thing for them to achieve," she said. The city is urging homeowners to apply for the property tax exemption and is hostingseveral drive-thru events for application help, along with nonprofit partners. Detroit’s Chief of Special Housing Programs Heather Zygmontowicz said the city directed federal ARPA funds to roof repairs because it’s often the most expensive maintenance issue affecting residents.

The program is currently going through phase one of assessing and approving 1,100 homes for roof replacement, which are expected to begin in September. Josh Elling, CEO of Jefferson East Inc., said he's happy to see the city directing money toward the issue of home repairs and commended the design of the program. Daisy Jackson, vice president of the Field Street Block Club in Detroit's Islandview neighborhood, said that $30 million is not nearly enough to address the need for home repairs and that it shouldn't be restricted to seniors and those with disabilities.

Benefits will start as early as June

In our family, if we needed a roof, btw in Detroit, we worked out a payment plan with the roofing company. Edythe Ford, director of community engagement for MACC Development, said the need for repairs is “huge” on Detroit’s east side. Ford works with the city and community organizations to steer resources toward the Detroiters who need help. But she argues that the City of Detroit is partly to blame for homes falling into disrepair.

Community organizations and researchers have said the scale of repair needs in Detroit is immense, and available programs are difficult to tap into. "We have watched literally hundreds of thousands of Detroiters move out of the city in the last 20 or 25 years. We wanted to prioritize the homeowners who stayed and reward them for doing that," Mayor Mike Duggan said at a news conference Thursday. It's all funded through donations, with some of the workers coming through Detroit Rescue Mission employment programs, like Daryl Washington. Now, a new program aimed at keeping seniors safe and in their homes is here to help. She has a twin sister who lives nearby, but it's her caregivers who say her home needs some work. It's getting more difficult to get her to the doctor because her front and back porches are falling apart.

“We are about to break a cycle that has trapped thousands of Detroit residents over the last two decades. They either live in unsafe homes because they can’t afford critical home repair resources, or they leave their properties,” Grannemann said. Residents in Detroit's Islandview neighborhood and East Davison Village have even taken matters into their own hands recently, by raising money online for critical home repairs. Across the country, 51% of households live in homes built before 1980, compared with 90% in Detroit and 68% in metro Detroit, a recent report from the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Institute found.

Home repairs were among the top issues Detroiters raised when askedhow they would like their city government to spend federal dollars. Researchers and community leadershave said the breadth of repair needs in Detroit are vast and available programs are difficult to tap into or have long wait lists. Home repair programs are making the difference for some Detroit residents who can’t afford to fix leaky roofs and other major problems, but thousands more still need help. Officials urged Detroiters to also apply for apoverty tax exemption, which is a requirement to qualify for the roof repairs. The Biden administration will restart its program to send free COVID-19 tests to Americans during the winter months when another coronavirus spike is expected.

Vanessa Taylor lives less than five miles west from Dean in a home she’s owned for 40 years. Taylor also applied to the Renew Detroit program, but said she hasn’t yet heard whether she qualifies. Taylor, who is also disabled, estimates it will cost between $20,000 and $40,000 for the home repairs she needs.

The city expects anywhere from 7,000 to 10,000 applications to roll in by the Oct. 31 application deadline. Jackson, a fourth-generation Detroiter who has lived in her Islandview home for 50 years, said roof repairs are a top priority in her neighborhood. "We know that home repair need is great in the city and I think this program is specifically structured to try and speak to that," said Heather Zygmontowicz, chief of special housing programs. "Our prior estimates of annual numbers of home repairs coming out of the city are usually anywhere between 100 and 300 a year. This program is looking to significantly increase that." City officials expect as many as 10,000 applications by month's end, when the application window for the roof repair program closes.