CLICK TO HEAR JACK HALL’S INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE LAJOYE, COMMUNITY ACTION
The Central UP Regional Housing Partnership’s Draft Action Plan is in the process of being developed.
The Action Plan is a regionally developed set of goals and strategies which aligns with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s recently developed Statewide Housing Plan.
“We’re working together to help the Central Six counties to develop their priorities, goals, and strategies on what housing is needed in our area,” Michelle Lajoye from Community Action Alger-Marquette told RRN News. “Our representatives from the six counties are looking at what we need for our area, so we are not going to be competing against Lower Michigan for (state) housing funds. We will indicate to the Housing Authority (MSHDA) what we need, and then they will look at funding.”
As co-leaders, the Central UP Planning and Development Regional Commission (CUPPAD) and Community Action Alger Marquette ere tasked to identify the housing ecosystem across Alger, Delta, Dickinson, Marquette, Menominee, and Schoolcraft Counties, then develop a collaborative structure to review the SHP’s priorities and goals, which focus on the State’s housing affordability crisis.
The Central UP Regional Housing Partnership was formed over June 2023, and consisted of municipal leaders, community resource agencies, affordable housing developers, health and human service agencies, and others dedicated to improving the well-being of their communities.
Lajoye says there are needs here in the Upper Peninsula that are unique to our area.
“For the housing ecosyetm, we are lookimg at enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness, through collarboration on housing and improving access,” she said. “We develop strategies in order to meet that goal. We also are looking at homeless prevention, and rental housing.”
The group is taking public comment on the plan through September 29th at 12:00 noon EST.
“We’re aksing people to provide us with additional information,” Lajoye said. “What strategies do they see first in our service area that we need to address?”
Drawing from the SHP’s framework, the Partnership created a set of regionally-developed goals, and strategies that focused on topics such as; increasing housing stock that is affordable and attainable, developing greater coordination within the housing ecosystem, and reducing the number of individuals experiencing rent burden. These strategies are intended to be tasks the regional housing ecosystem can begin undertaking over the next year and beyond.
Following this public review, the final Action Plan will be submitted to MSHDA.
This draft action plan is available for inspection at: https://bit.ly/CentralUPRHPDraft After reviewing this draft, interested individuals are encouraged to please complete a Survey Monkey questionnaire at the following address, no later than September 29, 2023 at noon EST: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XYP2S5H
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