In Grand Rapids, Benson Rolls Out Housing Affordability Agenda, Meets with Faith Leaders and Business Owners, Touts Scholten Endorsement
In Grand Rapids, Benson Rolls Out Housing Affordability Agenda, Meets with Faith Leaders and Business Owners, Touts Scholten Endorsement
Benson: "It's clear to me that making a home affordable is the job of the next governor"
Yesterday, Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson rolled out her plan to lower the cost of housing for Michigan families and met with local leaders, faith leaders, and business owners in Grand Rapids. Benson is the only candidate for governor who has released a comprehensive plan to drive down the cost of housing and has centered her campaign around building a more affordable Michigan.
Benson joined a roundtable with Grand Rapids 3rd Ward City Commissioner Marshall Kilgore, State Rep. Phil Skaggs, and housing advocates to discuss her housing affordability plan. Jocelyn’s plan 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.
“I grew up as a daughter of two public school teachers who were able to afford a home in a community where they worked because housing was affordable in that moment. A lot of what they experienced and what so many of us experienced growing up in a middle-class family, just isn’t accessible anymore,” said Secretary Benson during the roundtable. “Teachers, farmers, and nurses, who are moving to communities all across the state, can’t afford to live in the very communities in which they're serving. That's what I want to solve. That's the crisis that we're in. As I hear from nurses and first responders, farmers, teachers, and even employers, I hear the same thing: they would move to a community if they had some assurance that their employees could afford to live there. So it's clear to me that making a home affordable is the job of the next governor.”
“We are in a kind of perfect storm of problems that are causing housing to become more expensive. Washington has done little to help, and the result is that owning a home in Michigan is becoming increasingly out of reach for middle class families,” said State Representative Phil Skaggs. “West Michigan is a growing area of the state, people want to live here, but they need to have housing that can help them afford to live here. That's why today matters so much to me. We need a partner with the legislature, with local people, local elected leaders, and local community leaders like yourself in Lansing to help execute a real plan to solve this crisis, and I am positive that we have found that partner in Jocelyn Benson.”
Earlier in the day, Benson spoke with West Michigan faith leaders about her vision for a more affordable Michigan, opportunities to work together, and what they are hearing from their communities.
Benson later sat down with Black business owners to discuss her plans to make Michigan the economic development business capital of the country by making it easier to start and grow a business.
Benson ended the day announcing Congresswoman Hillary Scholten’s endorsement and talking with Michiganders about the issues that are top of mind for them.
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