housiDg sevices grant fund for
needed housiDg projects in local
communities;
- Provide for a . ding scale
of property tax aedits on state
income tax based on income
� ;and
- Create a e community
banking corporation and a loan
reserve fund to provide vital
banking services to 10 and
moderate income communities.
"The housing problem in
Michigan is especially aOlte for
"Tbe quality, vailability, and lower income individuals and
affordability of housing for families, "Rep. Harrison said
Michigan residents should be a "Housing projects initially in­
top priority for our state," Rep. tended for these residents are
Harrison . d. "There must be beiDg taken OYer by for-profit
effective cooper lion between operators, and many urban
the p . c and private sector to neighborhoods that provided
keep individuals and families in affordable hosuing are being
safe and affor.ble homes." 'gentrified' for new, higher, in-
Rep. Harrison said the bilk come residents. This is driving
presented, which the Commit- poorer families out into inade­
tee expects to foDow with other quate, unsafe housiag or even
J IegislatWe packages, would: into' the streets.
- Create the Michigan "And right now a special
H�using Policy Commission to House committee is looking at
evaluate the, availability of aflor- eviden� that significantly fewer I
dable housing for income home loans are being made in
individuals and families, per- urban commUDitic�. Potential
sons with handicaps and other homeowners with low income
special need groups, and to do not appear to have equal ac­
recommend specific govern-· ee to available capital," he
�nt action to i crease bousiDg said. '
fot these plpulatioDs; .. "This' legi lation will
- Establish a state Home- promote cooperatse efforts to
less Prevention and Ass· lance peeserve ho . opportunities
Board and Fuad; to support that currently exist and to open
local pr t Ip people the ing market to people
void me and· 0 are currently excluded,"
those beoome home ; Rep. Harrison said. ore im-
- Improve pub. DOtific2- portaDdy, it uId estab . a
lion requirements of p'operty responsive state ousiDg policy
sales; that"· a new �I of com-
- Require that a' greater mitme t and p'oYides direction
proportion of federal com-=- to effectively and systematically
unity development block addres Michigan's housing
gran be directed to in- problems. " ..'
Rep. Harrison noted that
maay of the recolllllleDdatioas
of the ad hoc . committee
ees 0 iam ; are being implemented by the
- � a oeigbborbood I qislature and state agencies.
p
.,
Tbe Ad Hoc Special Com-
mittee to Study Housing Condi-
I tio in the S e of Michigan,
chaired by Rep. Ow-Iie J. Har­
rison, Jr. (D-Pootiac), outliDed
leg· lation to make adequate
and ffordable housing vail­
able to more Michigan resi­
dents.
The bill package. based on
recommendaito made by the
Committee· 'a 1987 report to
the 1 qislature.
'I
, I
an
Detroi Organization of
TeDants (00'1) thought they
d the ttIe but lost the
w during the upheaval ur­
roundiag the Fair Rent issue ap­
proved by wters in the August 2
primary election.
Ate vo e COUD on
the i e lmost to-one
in favor of a Detroit Fair Rent
OrdiDan�, the vote result
indo
.A month before the electioo,
Governor James Blanchard
signed . to Ia a ban on Fair
Rent la in the state of
. Mich· .
!After Blanchard signed the
ban� a 1a uit' filed by a
Chamber of Com-
mercelLandlo d group in an ef-
oim
, "For instance, new state laws
have expanded the Michigan
State Housing Development
AuthQrity's ability to motivate
private developers to build and
maintain low income housing."
Legislation to addre mobile
home tenant co
park home sales
daced, "And a ne Department
of Social Services licyregard­
ing veadored ren payments for
public assistan recipients
should compel ndlords who
EaI _
Two or Detroit's advocat}' groups, The United
CommUnity· Ho· CoalitIOn (UOIe) and the
Coali�n 00 Te porary Shelter (COTS) wonder if
they are figbtius a Iosiag battle.
00 September 6, the two groups spoke with one
voice toobtaiu a � order to stop all salesou
properties owaed by the Depattmeat Of Housing
. aad Urban Development (HUD), sayiDg these
ho could be used fo ho families and in-
However, Detroit' HUD Property Di&position
Maoager Ridlard Hadd . d Federal Court Judge
OJNer Gasdl refused last wee to grant the groups
allY further restraiaiag order. He says HUD has
� aD of their sales aad auction adMties and
99 houses we bei sent out b c::IOIiiJa2..
ERalbl'eDirutor for UOlc, Ted IfhiIIi said
ewm tlougb HUn resumed • sales, t&ere is still
a ease pe . to penaw.eatiy stop HUD &0111 &ell-
. . famiJ • that could be made avail-- -
REP.HARR) 0
receive rent payments directly
from the state to keep their
property up to health and safety
code standards.
I 'We have raised the level of
attention that Michigan's hous­
ing. problems command, nd we
believe the state is responding
very positively," Rep. Harrison
said. 'With the reduced ro of
the federal government in
providing housing, believe it
is critical that the st te t e the
leadership and make housing a
priority in Michigan."
The Committee members
are: Rep. David C. Hollister (D­
Lansing), Joe Young, r. (D­
Detroit), Shirley Johnson (R­
Royal Oak) and Ralph Os­
tling(R- Roscommon).
End hou ing
dlscrlm naton
If you believe, you're
beiDa deaied the housing of
your choice based on your
race, (X) lor, sex, national
orp.
ca 1-800-543-8214
OCI"c 01 ". HouIin& Ind
5q I 0pp0mIa 'Y.
gro P 'pu he I on I with Fa-
fort to get the Detroi ordioan�
off the A DoL
The judge ruled in the
tenan ' faYOJ', saying the ballot
question should remain.
The que lion was whether
the voter- pproved ordinance
would be enforCed.
DOT Secretary VICki Kovari
. d first DOT thought the
Court case dead because the
court of appeals denied the
landlord's motion to kick the
issue off the ballot
"We thought we uld have
to bring up a new case to get the
Detroit 'ordinance enforced,
says Kavan, "But then we got a
call from the other s' de's attor­
ney as� for an extension to
file their brief and we realized
that they didn't consider it moot
,and that the case still alive
in the court of appeals, "
She says after DOT obta·
and revie the opposition's
brief, they intend to file an
answer to that brief and argue
that the Fair Rent law, approved
by Detroi \Uers, should stand
legal and enforceable.
Kovari was told that the op­
wsition· suppose to be filing a
brief in the court of Appeals by
October 5, at which time a bear­
ing will be scheduled to deter­
mine whether Fair Ren is an
issue that should be ruled on in
a lower court.
Or, Kovari says, the judge
could decide right tben and
there 0 the legality of the Fair
reat i DC, either that it is total­
ly legal and should be enacted or
partially IepI and decide which well as building a mbership
sectioos are IepI, or that none base.
. of· t is legal and ould not be - She says DOT is planning a.
enacted. Tenants Conference in the
The law· tedmicaUy sup- spring where they can elect new
pose to go into effect October 1, leadersbip and also do
but Mayor Coleman Young said workshops to educate tenants
that e will not enforce the voter across the city on how to or­
"approved Fair Rent Ordinance ganize and what their rights are.
because it is illegal Kovari said 'Kovari says DOT will also be
. Young feels that this i some- conducting a member hip driv
thing that should not be eo- to inform the people of what is
forced, going o� in the city and what can
Kovari sa�'S DOT not only be changed to improve housing
seeks to enact Fair Rent as a for mostly poor and middle-in­
law, either tbrough legal or come people.
legislative means, but also will
be working to build a Tenant's
Organization and Tenant's
Movement in the city of Detroit
through organizing .tenants
around housing problems as
i
,