The Develop Detroit non-profit housing efforts were discussed on last Sunday’s TV program that featured Mayor Duggan and Jamie Dimon. It is rewarding to know that investments are being made to develop housing in the North End near the intersection of Marston and Woodward. Apparently, 21 homes – some new but many rehabbed - are going on the market for prices between $190,000 and about $275,000. Is it appropriate to call this affordable? If you assume that a household can afford a home priced at 2.5 times their annual income, households will need annual incomes of about $76,000 to purchase one of these homes. In the city of Detroit in 2018, the median household income was $31,000; the mean household income was $ 43,600 and only 15% of the city’s households reported incomes over $75,000.


In Detroit in 2018, there were 52,000 households swho reported cash incomes below $10,000 and another 21,000 with incomes between . $10,000 and $20,000. If they spend 30 percent of their income for shelter, they can pay $500 per month for rent. I suspect there is not many safe, reasonably maintained units available at that price. Nationwide, there is a great shortage of affordable, safe housing. The Secretary of HUD is a distinguished Detroit gentleman who is familiar with the challenges low income people confront finding quality housing. He grew up in a small but attractive home on Deacon Street. I wonder what solutions he will propose for the current housing crisis that low income – and many middle income - households face?