Rocket, Detroit announce $2.2 million fund for housing counseling
Six Detroit-based nonprofits will receive a financial boost to provide housing and financial counseling through a more than $2.2 million investment the city of Detroit, Rocket Community Fund and CHN Housing Partners announced Thursday.
The nonprofits, working together as the Detroit Housing Network, will offer services to Detroit homeowners including mortgage and financial counseling, home repair assistance and property tax foreclosure prevention. The network also will help low-income households seeking home ownership.
“We have a number of excellent programs that can help Detroiters stay in their homes or fix up their homes,” Mayor Mike Duggan said in a statement Thursday. “We just need to do a better job of letting Detroiters know how to access them.”
The investment includes $750,000 that Rocket Community Fund announced in March for the Detroit Housing Network as part of its 10-year, joint $500 million commitment to Detroit. The investment also includes $1.5 million in COVID-19 response funds the city’s Detroit Housing & Revitalization Department received through the federal CARES Act.
CHN Housing Partners, an affordable housing developer, will administer the housing and financial counseling grants. The recipients are Detroit-based nonprofits: Bridging Communities, Central Detroit Christian CDC, Jefferson East Inc., Matrix Human Services, U SNAP BAC and Wayne Metro Community Action Agency.
“By combining the collective resources of established community organizations toward one singular purpose, we have the opportunity to bridge existing inequities and allow Detroiters to access the support they need to experience stable, affordable housing,” said Kevin Nowak, executive director of CHN Housing Partners. “Over time, the Detroit Housing Network will grow to serve Detroit’s high demand for housing-related services.”
For more than five years, the Rocket Community Fund has invested in housing stability programs in the city, said Laura Grannemann, its vice president.
“What we found through creating a lot of those programs has been that it’s very difficult for people to navigate the system and to find the right program that serves the need that they have,” she said. “Housing is an extremely foundational component of our lives and when something goes wrong with your home or housing stability, that can be a really dramatic moment. You want one place that is going to help you walk through all of those resources that exist.”
The network will help residents access housing resources that include the city’s Homeowners Property Tax Assistance Program, Pay As You Stay, and its 0% Interest Home Repair Loan Program.
“The Rocket Community Fund has been a tremendous partner in our successful efforts to reduce tax foreclosure by 95%, and this new program we are launching with their support will make it easier than ever for residents to find out about and get the help they need,” Duggan said.
Detroiters interested in contacting a housing or financial counselor can visit www.detroithousingnetwork.org.
Twitter: @CWilliams_DN
