The Missing Middle

Recently-passed legislation provides new tools to address local workforce housing needs

also resulted in significant economic and community challenges related to workforce housing.

A 2019 study by Housing North estimated a shortfall of 15,000 housing units in the region through 2025. Three years later, this shortage has been exacerbated by the pandemic and associated issues, including supply chain constraints, labor supply, short-term rentals, interest rate increases, and further increased housing demand.

To address these challenges, leaders from across the state banded together over the past few years to form the Housing Michigan Coalition. This group focused on advancing forward legislation in Lansing that provides new tools and policy improvements for local communities across the state to address workforce housing independently.

Coalition members Housing North, Traverse Connect, and the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance worked with partners across the state to advocate for these needed policy changes. The priorities were to improve local control in housing decision-making, provide more flexibility for local municipalities to apply these new tools as local conditions warrant, and address the “missing middle” gap of work-