Housing Ready Program

“Building capacity: Boots on the Ground in your Community"

A key ingredient missing in most rural communities is community development staff that can work with developers to coordinate partners, incentives, funding, and development opportunities. Communities themselves recognize this gap as well and have been working with Housing North to find solutions. The Housing Ready Program, piloted in Charlevoix and Emmet Counties, is a step towards this goal. A "housing ready" community is one in which there are opportunities for development that can create a variety of options for all people in the community. Click here to view the housing ready checklist. You can also click here and watch a recording of our February 2022 webinar explaining the Housing Ready Program and its impact on participating communities.

Housing Ready Communities are healthy, robust, and bursting with opportunity for all. They have removed common barriers to attainable housing by coordinating projects between units of government and developers, revising outdated zoning to ensure it supports today’s housing needs, creating Housing Action Plans and other initiatives that provide clear paths to housing and future growth. Are you wondering how to become Housing Ready? Click here and learn more.

  • Housing North partners with local units of government and organizations to put “boots on the ground” to help make communities “housing ready.” Staff is hired to provide community development/technical assistance support to local governments, developers, and other partners relative to specific sites and projects. These individuals have diverse skill sets - including housing finance, planning/zoning, and development with the aim to build the region’s capacity and enable the organization and communities to build diverse strengths in support and achievement of local and regional goals.

  • Anybody! Some of our partners include local governments, housing agencies, community housing networks, philanthropies, and any relevant stakeholder who wants to be part of the change and sustained growth of their community.

  • Charlevoix County was the first County in NW Michigan to pilot the Housing Ready Program in 2020 and we are grateful for their commitment and innovation. We are happy to share that the program has expanded to Charlevoix, Emmet, Manistee and Leelanau Counties in 2022. While initially these programs were initially for 3 years, they have since been expanded due to interest and need in the community.

    Thanks to a grant from the Oleson Foundation and Rotary Charities of Traverse City we are able to expand our technical support to three counties (Antrim, Benzie and Grand Traverse) for one year in 2023. The work was focused on helping the units of government that are updating their master plans and help remove any barriers to housing through our housing ready checklist and the zoning reform toolkit and provide housing project support.

    In 2024 a State Enhancement Grant allowed us to bring the Housing Ready program to all 10 Counties including Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Wexford, Missaukee Counties. We are currently fundraising in 2025 to continue our support in each of these Counties.

  • The purpose of the Fund is to increase the supply of housing units in Charlevoix County across a variety of price points. The Fund works to achieve this purpose by being committed to mixed income neighborhoods and developments, increasing housing choice, and ensuring that development is compatible with local goals and objectives. The Fund focuses resources on barriers to projects at the pre-development stage and by partnering with others to leverage resources to address those barriers. The Fund will award grants to projects within Charlevoix County.

    This program is in partnership with the Charlevoix County Community Foundation. Click here and learn more about how to apply!

  • Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) are one of the many important housing solutions needed in Charlevoix County. They increase the supply and variety of housing options in what are typically single-family neighborhoods. They are sometimes called backyard cottages and they share many characteristics with small, detached homes. Given their smaller size and lack of additional land cost, ADUs can offer a more affordable housing option in neighborhoods where homes are out of reach for many people.

    ADUs also support the housing needs of a wide range of households, like older adults looking to downsize, seniors with fixed incomes, lower- and middle-income households, homeowners with disabilities or other needs, and multigenerational families. Households can benefit from the flexibility, stability, or extra income that an ADU provides to meet their evolving household needs. Many people buy houses and live in them for years even though their actual needs change over time. ADUs can meet that evolving need for a family member or for a member of the local workforce or older adult.

    To learn more about the ADU program, click here to download the toolkit.

  • Deed-restricted homeownership can be used to preserve long-term affordability in any community. A deed restriction is a provision in a deed that imposes a limitation, condition, or other restriction upon how the grantee may use the property being conveyed by the deed. Housing North holds the deed restriction on the property and monitors them each year. We launched this program in Charlevoix County, but are hoping to expand it to other communities where there is interest. If you want to learn more about how this program can be implemented in your community, email yarrow@housingnorth.org

    Click here to download the Deed Restriction Acknowledgement Form.

The Charlevoix County Housing Ready Program has a goal of creating attainable housing opportunities within Charlevoix County, specifically within the cities of Boyne City, Charlevoix, and East Jordan. Partners in this goal are the County of Charlevoix, Charlevoix County Community Foundation, and the Frey Foundation. The Program operates as a function of Housing North. The Program is based in Charlevoix County working with local housing networks, city, county, and township officials, local philanthropy, private and nonprofit developers, employers, and other stakeholders to help Charlevoix County communities coordinate local housing initiatives and help in the development process. This Program supports the communities’ goals to create housing opportunities for all.

The Housing Ready Program Director facilitates the three communities’ Housing Solutions Teams and implements their Action Plans. All local stakeholders, including builders, school trades programs, local municipal Planning Commissions, realtors, and business owners, are involved in guiding the Program. These stakeholders are the strongest allies to help create housing opportunities. The Program Director provides technical assistance when zoning ordinances need to be amended and provides stewardship for other housing conservancy efforts.

Emmet County Housing Ready Program

The Emmet Housing Ready Program Director is the key agent of the Little Traverse Bay Housing Partnership in its efforts to expand market-driven solutions to make workforce housing affordable for all in Emmet County. The Program Coordinator is a catalyst and principal point of contact within the community for information, tools, and resources for initiatives to effectively address affordable housing shortages in Emmet County. The Housing Ready Program Director position is a partnership between Housing North, and the Little Traverse Bay Housing Partnership, a grassroots organization based in Emmet County. Funding for the position is currently provided by the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation, the Frey Foundation, the City of Harbor Springs, the City of Petoskey, Resort Township, and by Women Who Care—Tip of the Mitt. Lindsey Dotson joined Housing North to provide Housing Ready Support in Emmet and Kalkaska Counties. She is the cofounder of GD Placemaking, a consulting company whose mission is to help elevate communities, property owners, and businesses by being a partner in helping dreams become reality while helping to preserve the built environment and unique character that makes places memorable. To learn more about the program in Emmet County, contact Lindsey at lindsey@gdplacemaking.com

Housing North is excited to share its expansion of the Housing Ready Program to Manistee County. Eight community partners including local governments and charitable and philanthropic organizations have come together to help launch the Housing Ready Program in Manistee County.

Funds were committed for three years to assist Housing North in appointing a Program Coordinator based in Manistee. Funding partners include Manistee County, the City of Manistee, Manistee County Community Foundation, the City of Manistee Housing Commission, Manistee United Way, and the Manistee Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). Manistee’s Housing Ready Program Coordinator will work with community partners to communicate the need for housing solutions, identify priority sites for housing development, work on housing rehabilitation and new construction opportunities, and seek out local, state, and national funding sources to leverage existing resources for housing expansion. In September of 2022, Tracy Davis was hired as the Manistee County Housing Ready Coordinator. You can contact Tracy at tracy@housingnorth.org.

The Leelanau County Housing Ready Program was initiated by a grant from the Leelanau Township Community Foundation in the Fall of 2021. Housing North used this momentum along with the Leelanau Housing Action Committee (HAC) and other supporters to develop a fundraising plan to bring the Housing Ready Program to Leelanau County. Rotary Charities of Traverse City and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation also provided support in 2022 to launch the Program. Thanks to support from Leelanau Christian Neighbors, Leelanau County, Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce and Bingham Township, we were able to create three years of dedicated support to Leelanau County.

In September of 2022 we welcomed our first Leelanau County Housing Ready Program Director focused on outreach, education and bringing key initiatives around housing. In 2024 we began the process of creating a Housing Action Plan in collaboration with a newly formed Housing Collaborative with the goal to present key action items for the County to adopt to move housing solutions forward.

We continue to support Leelanau County communities to expand our programs and support their housing goals. You can contact yarrow@housingnorth.org

Wexford/Missaukee Housing Ready Program

With support from a State Enhancement Grant in 2024, and the Cadillac Area and Missaukee Area Community Foundation in 2023, we were able to expand our Housing Ready program to these two counties.

The Alliance for Economic Success (AES) is a key partner for the program in Wexford/Missaukee which hosts a Housing Advocacy group Our Housing Ready team provides project level support including tracking projects, zoning changes and connecting with the units of government to help the community become Housing Ready.

If you’d like to support this program please email Shelly@housingnorth.org. To learn more about signing up for the advocacy committee email: Niki Schultz, MSA at the Alliance for Economic Success, Executive Director Email: schul860@msu.edu

Benzie County

The Benzie County Housing Ready Program was launched in 2023 with support from the Oleson Foundation and Rotary Charities. The program works alongside the Benzie County Housing Collaborative to drive awareness, foster partnerships, and develop sustainable housing solutions. In 2024, we were able to continue our efforts in Benzie County with support from a State Enhancement grant. We support the local Benzie County Housing Collaborative which meets at least quarterly. We worked with Flywheel companies in 2024 to develop a communication plan and housing toolkit. We are also working on a housing opportunity map. We are continuing the program as long as funding allows. If you are interested in supporting the program in Benzie, email our Director of Community Engagement, Shelly Charron at Shelly@housingnorth.org. Tracy Davis is the main person supporting housing ready program in Benzie County. You can contact her at tracy@housingnorth.org.

 Antrim/Kalkaska Counties

Thanks to an Enhancement Grant in 2024 from the State of Michigan and a grant from the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation for 2025 we are able to provide technical support in these communities. Our team is coordinating housing projects, connecting developers, supporting housing groups and working with the units of government to introduce the Housing Ready Checklist, new housing tools and more.

For questions, information and support in Antrim County please email Zach Sompels or Lindsey Dotson for support in Kalkaska. The village of Kalkaska has a Housing Action Plan, which was adopted in 2022.

Grand Traverse County

In 2023 Housing North expanded the Housing Ready Program to Grand Traverse County thanks to a grant from the Oleson Foundation and Rotary Charities of Traverse City. With support from the State Enhancement Grant, we were able to continue support in 2024. This initiative aims to provide technical support to local partners in updating master plans, assist in removing barriers to housing, support for the housing tools and housing projects. Additionally, the program will work to launch an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) initiative in Grand Traverse County, promoting diverse and affordable housing options. For more information about the program in Grand Traverse County, please contact our Housing Ready Program Coordinator Susan Leithauser-Yee at leityee@gmail.com.

With support from the Grand Traverse County Economic Development Corporation and the Brookby Foundation, we are excited to have the zoning atlas pilot project come to Grand Traverse County in 2025.