Benson: “You can't create jobs if people can't afford to live in the communities they're working in."

Yesterday, Jocelyn Benson unveiled her plan to lower the cost of housing and build more homes across Michigan, so that every Michigander can afford a home in the community where they live and work.

As governor, Jocelyn will expand housing production statewide through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, cut red tape and speed up permitting so homes can be built faster, create a statewide housing data system to show where the needs are, strengthen renter protections, and give communities more control over short-term rentals – all while partnering with local leaders to give residents the access to housing they need.

In case you missed it… 

In print:

Detroit Free Press: Jocelyn Benson pitches plan to address Michigan housing shortage

[Arpan Lobo, 3/2/2026] 

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson offered her pitch to address housing issues if elected Michigan’s next governor during a roundtable discussion in Grand Rapids on Monday, March 2.

“It’s clear to me if we want to keep our young people, our talented people here in Michigan, we have to ensure there are places for them to live," Benson said, flanked by local housing advocates and other officials.

Her plan calls for easing homebuilding permitting processes, expanding tax credits for first-time home buyers and banning private equity firms from buying homes in Michigan within the first 100 days they hit the market, among other proposals.

[...]

Specifically, she said her administration would streamline permitting processes for homebuilders, which she said can delay construction by months. She also called for expanding homestead tax credits, something her campaign said would allow more working families and seniors keep up with rising property taxes.

[...]

"It's a real economic development issue," she told reporters following the event. "When it comes to creating jobs, you can't create jobs if people can't afford to live in the communities they're working in."

MLive: Benson wants tax on short-term rentals, 100-day ban on private equity buying homes

[Danielle James, 3/2/2026] 

Benson, the Democratic frontrunner in the governor’s race, also shared new policies she said would free up housing stock.

Those include establishing a statewide system to track and tax short-term rentals and a ban on the sale of homes to private equity firms for the first 100 days they’re on the market.

It’s the second policy plan for Benson, after she released a “healthcare affordability agenda” in early January. 

[...]

Lauren VanKeulen, CEO of AYA Youth Collective, also highlighted down-payment assistance as something that could make a huge difference for younger people looking to buy a home. 

[...]

“It’s part of the holistic approach to ensuring you get a tax credit or other types of support for that down payment,” Benson said of her pitch, “and that enables people to ensure they can become homeowners, grow that wealth and also be an active part of the community.”

Michigan Advance: Benson launches affordability-focused housing plan as advocates push for more state housing support

[Katherine Dailey, 3/2/2026] 

“In recent years, it’s clear to me that if we also need to keep our young people, our talented people here in Michigan, we have to ensure there are places for them to live,” Benson said during the roundtable. “I want to make it as easy to build into this state as it is to get your driver’s license.”

Nancy Haynes, the executive director of the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, emphasized the increased role of the state in housing policy as the federal government rolls back guidance and protections in fair housing law. 

[...]

One key element of Benson’s plan is an expanded tax credit designed to help create opportunities for first-time homeowners. 

However, Benson also emphasized, the tax credit would support “not just first time homeowners who are trying to and assist them in trying to afford that down payment, but second time homeowners as well, as well as people moving up into the system and expanding their homes so that we can free up those first time homeowners opportunities.”

[...]

[State Representative] Skaggs also contrasted Benson’s plan with other candidates in the gubernatorial race, seeming to specifically dig at former Detroit mayor Mike Duggan, who is running as an independent. 

“Most local leaders across the state will tell you the same thing, this is the defining challenge of our time,” he said. “Knowing the problem isn’t enough, we have to be willing to act on it, even when it’s hard, even when we’re not sure where the answers are going to be, but we have to work on them, and not every leader has been willing to do that, including a certain mayor who is in this governor’s race.”

Bridge Michigan: Jocelyn Benson pitches housing plan with homebuyer tax credits, Airbnb tax

[Simon Schuster, 3/2/2026] 

Benson said she wants more homes built in Michigan and to boost affordable housing options for lower-income residents. 

“We need to eliminate a lot of red tape” around zoning, building requirements and inspections, she said.

[...]

Among other things, Benson said she wants to:

• Offer a tax credit for families who are “ready to purchase” homes “but struggling to save enough”

• Expand the Michigan Homestead Property Tax Credit, which currently provides property tax relief to homeowners or renters with total household resources of up to $71,500

• Ban private equity and large investors from buying single-family homes in the first 100 days they’re on the market

• Track short-term rentals like Airbnbs and tax them to “fund local issues,” while still allowing municipalities to regulate or ban those rentals

• Require “tougher inspections and enforcement” for apartments to protect renters and punish “absentee landlords who neglect their properties”

• Expand rental assistance for “families struggling with costs”

[...]

Benson said Whitmer’s [State of the State] proposal is “an important one” but added “we want to build on that” by “eliminating a lot of the long-standing certification processes” in order to get housing developments breaking ground more quickly.

MIRS: Benson's Build Housing Agenda With 100-Day Private Investor Ban, Airbnb tax

[Staff, 3/2/2026]

Speaking with 10 West Michigan housing and homeless leaders for a roundtable discussion, Benson also said she wants to expand tax credits to help new homebuyers, and speed up the building of new structures with state-level zoning reform.

Benson said a nine-bill zoning reform package currently in the Legislature is a "great start," adding that zoning is a "big piece" of what's needed.

"It's about overall saying, 'What do we need to do to make sure, no matter where you want to live or work in Michigan, you can afford to buy a home in that community,'" Benson said.

[…]

Benson said the state needed to be doing more on housing affordability, because it was the basis of economic development.

On the airwaves:

WZZM - Grand Rapids, MI: “Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson wants to lower housing costs. It's part of her campaign for Michigan governor. At a roundtable today she talked about her plan for affordability agenda which includes expanding a property tax credit for homebuyers and creating opportunities for first time home buyers. Benson says the state needs to be doing more to address the housing affordability crisis. … Benson's plan also focuses on streamlining the home building process so it's more affordable and faster to build a home here in Michigan.” 

WOOD TV - Grand Rapids, MI: “Gubernatorial candidate, Secretary of state Jocelyn Benson met with housing and homeless advocates today at a campaign stop in grand rapids. Benson, a democrat, says making housing more affordable, including for first-time home buyers, is one of her key campaign issues. … Benson says she supports not only cutting red tape, but state tax incentives to help potential homebuyers with down payments” 

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