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In both areas, a greater share of Black households live in homes built before 1960. Homeowners will be chosen based on how long they've owned their home, their level of poverty exemption , the number of people in the house, and whether they are already on a wait list for home repairs or weatherization. The next phase, slated to launch in a year, is expected to provide additional repairs to another 500 homes. The city hasn't yet determined what that work will entail, but it may include electrical or plumbing repair, Duggan said. Beginning in March, applications will be available online and at a number of locations throughout the city, including Neighborhood Intake Centers, City of Detroit Neighborhood District Managers’ offices, and City of Detroit Recreation Centers. Applicants must complete the application and submit all required documents to a Neighborhood Intake Center.
Lifelong resident Samela Dean is a senior, disabled and qualifies for a property tax exemption for low-income residents, which made her a prime candidate for the city’s Renew Detroit Home Repair Program. The $45 million effort intends to help 2,000 low-income Detroiters fix up their homes over the next four years. A second phase of the program opened in October – and will include window replacements. Detroiters must submit their property tax exemption applications by Nov. 12 and must be approved by Dec. 14 to be eligible for the repair program. The roof repairs are expected to cost $20 million, with each project estimated to cost between $7,000 and $13,000.
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Dean was one of the first Detroiters to receive a new roof at no cost through Renew Detroit, a program funded with a portion of Detroit’s federal American Rescue Plan Act pandemic aid. If not for the program, Dean said she wouldn’t have been able to save enough money to replace the leaky roof. In the newest phase of the repair program, new window replacement is available to further assist home owners, said Joy. The new funding will be used for windows and roof replacement in the next three years. "This grant program will be transformative for homeowners residing within the city of Detroit. They will be able to make much-needed repairs to roofs, or windows that they otherwise may not be able to afford," Joy said.
"So often, we've seen that many people who are behind on their property taxes are investing critical dollars into their back taxes, instead of their repairs," said Laura Grannemann, vice president of the Rocket Community Fund. "We have to remember that we still have homeowners, besides the home repairs that they need, are still struggling with the payment of their back taxes," said Willie Donwell, administrator for the property assessment board of review. No more names will be added to an existing home repair program that has a waitlist of 1,961 seniors, Duggan said. Those who are on that list will keep their place but are encouraged to apply for the new program, too. A new program aims to replace 1,000 roofs for low-income seniors and homeowners with disabilities in Detroit, city officials announced Thursday.
New Detroit home repair program can fix 1,000 roofs. Nearly 5,000 Detroiters applied
Assistance with completing the application will be available at intake centers. The next phase of the program will include at least 500 homes, although the type of repairs hasn't been determined. "We estimated that out to be about $2.87 million in roof repair need just in one neighborhood, so sort of multiply that across the city and you can see the need is absolutely enormous," he said. Eisenberg's report found roofing to be the most common need in 2019 among participants of a home repair program by the United Community Housing Coalition and partners, which provided emergency grants and homeowner education. Advocates and residents who spoke with BridgeDetroit said the home repair crisis poses a public health threat.
The program is currently going through phase one of assessing and approving 1,100 homes for roof replacement, which are expected to begin in September. Josh Elling, CEO of Jefferson East Inc., said he's happy to see the city directing money toward the issue of home repairs and commended the design of the program. Daisy Jackson, vice president of the Field Street Block Club in Detroit's Islandview neighborhood, said that $30 million is not nearly enough to address the need for home repairs and that it shouldn't be restricted to seniors and those with disabilities.
Benefits will start as early as June
Field Street Block Club President Jennine Spencer crowdfunded more than $14,000 in the last year to help families in the Islandview Neighborhood on Detroit’s east side. “Most people need roofs, gutters, siding, brickwork, porch work, windows – they need everything,” Taylor said. Not only is the program a way to provide resources, but it’s also breaking down Systemic barriers, saving homes that have been in families for generations. “We just know that so many people are struggling to afford huge home repair costs, especially today with increasing construction costs, which can be very difficult,” said Gilbert Family Foundation Executive Director Laura Grannemann.
Community organizations and researchers have said the scale of repair needs in Detroit is immense, and available programs are difficult to tap into. "We have watched literally hundreds of thousands of Detroiters move out of the city in the last 20 or 25 years. We wanted to prioritize the homeowners who stayed and reward them for doing that," Mayor Mike Duggan said at a news conference Thursday. It's all funded through donations, with some of the workers coming through Detroit Rescue Mission employment programs, like Daryl Washington. Now, a new program aimed at keeping seniors safe and in their homes is here to help. She has a twin sister who lives nearby, but it's her caregivers who say her home needs some work. It's getting more difficult to get her to the doctor because her front and back porches are falling apart.
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The city is working with community development organizations to find other solutions. The Gilbert Foundation also launched a $20 million Detroit Home Repair Fund this spring for 1,000 low-income homeowners over the next three years. That fund helps homeowners identified through DTE’s Energy Efficiency Assistance Program who are at 200% of the federal poverty line and applied for a property tax exemption through the City of Detroit.
Home repairs were among the top issues Detroiters raised when askedhow they would like their city government to spend federal dollars. Researchers and community leadershave said the breadth of repair needs in Detroit are vast and available programs are difficult to tap into or have long wait lists. Home repair programs are making the difference for some Detroit residents who can’t afford to fix leaky roofs and other major problems, but thousands more still need help. Officials urged Detroiters to also apply for apoverty tax exemption, which is a requirement to qualify for the roof repairs. The Biden administration will restart its program to send free COVID-19 tests to Americans during the winter months when another coronavirus spike is expected.
Creating stronger neighborhoods by providing 0% interest home repair loans to Detroit homeowners. The next one is a 96-year-old who needs a new furnace and another one who needs some roofing repairs. "I always say I thank god. He has helped me to be able to live this long," she said. "My husband and my daughter and I, we have a lot of good times to remember and I want to continue to stay here."
The city expects anywhere from 7,000 to 10,000 applications to roll in by the Oct. 31 application deadline. Jackson, a fourth-generation Detroiter who has lived in her Islandview home for 50 years, said roof repairs are a top priority in her neighborhood. "We know that home repair need is great in the city and I think this program is specifically structured to try and speak to that," said Heather Zygmontowicz, chief of special housing programs. "Our prior estimates of annual numbers of home repairs coming out of the city are usually anywhere between 100 and 300 a year. This program is looking to significantly increase that." City officials expect as many as 10,000 applications by month's end, when the application window for the roof repair program closes.
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