(WXYZ) — In tonight's 7 UpFront segment we're looking at efforts to keep housing affordable in Detroit, focusing on a recently announced partnership designed to reduce barriers in the city.
Joining us to talk about it is the Affordable Housing Program Director at Enterprise Community Partners Stacy Esbrook and the Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department Rebecca Labov.
You can learn more about what affordable housing is and where it is located here.
You can see the full interview in the video player above.
"So, preservation means helping make sure the housing stays affordable and also safe and in good condition for residents," Labov says. "Right now, we know this is especially important, we are seeing rising costs through higher construction prices and also lower rental collections as residents struggling with the impacts of COVID are not able to afford rent. And so when you see those costs go up and the revenue goes down, it's harder for the owners to make investments in the properties and then you see the rents increasing as well. So the city is really committed to making sure that our existing affordable housing stays affordable in the long term and also in good physical condition. So, we're committed to a goal since 2018 to preserving 10,000 units of existing affordable housing so that long-term Detroiters can stay and lower-income residents aren't displaced."
