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Contact: Lauren Slagter, lslag@umich.edu, 734-929-8027

DETROIT – In a city with aging housing stock, home repair resources are critical for Detroit residents to maintain safe and stable housing.

A new Detroit Home Repair Resource Guide published by Poverty Solutions in September aims to better inform Detroiters of available home repair programs so they can leverage the resources they need to keep up their homes.

Each program description in the guide includes the name of the program and administering agency, eligibility requirements, income guidelines, area of availability, type of repairs, how to apply, and contact information.

The guide is organized in the following sections:

1. Home Repair Loan Programs
2. Home Repair Grant Programs
3. Weatherization and Energy Efficiency Programs
4. Community-based Home Repair Programs
5. Home Repair Advocates
6. Glossary
7. Detroit Home Repair Ecosystem Map

Download a PDF of the updated 2022 Detroit Home Repair Resource Guide

Despite the efforts of local government and nonprofits in the home repair ecosystem, Poverty Solutions’ research found there are simply not enough resources available to meet demand in Detroit. Many programs are at capacity, with long waitlists. And many residents most in need of home repair resources often do not qualify for programs from which they could benefit. Ryan Ruggiero, who was the research lead in compiling the home guide, also completed an analysis of existing needs in the home repair ecosystem and provided options for addressing them.

“My hope is that stakeholders will use my research to more strategically leverage funding, expertise, and resources to more effectively and holistically address housing inadequacy to improve health, educational, and economic outcomes for Detroiters,” said Ruggiero, a graduate student at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and intern with Poverty Solutions’ Detroit Partnership on Economic Mobility.