Buying a first home used to be part of the American Dream. Unfortunately, for many Michiganders today, it’s become an unattainable fantasy.
With home prices soaring and affordable housing in short supply, lawmakers across the political spectrum agree there’s a crisis.
Today, The ’Gander’s Kyle Kaminski breaks down why Michigan’s housing crisis keeps getting worse.
Plus: Michiganders continue to lose access to valuable sexual health resources one year after Republicans passed the Trump Administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
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Trump administration sues Michigan for SNAP info (CBS News): The Trump administration has sued Michigan over its refusal to provide five years of SNAP applicant data to the US Department of Agriculture as part of a nationwide review of potential fraud. Michigan is one of four states named in the lawsuit. State officials declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
Environmentalists appeal invalidated regulations (Michigan Advance): Environmental groups are appealing a Michigan court ruling that removed several pollution-control rules from a permit governing factory farms and animal waste. The groups argue the changes could weaken protections for Michigan waterways.
State law ending essay portion for high school exam takes effect (ClickOnDetroit): Michigan high school students will no longer be required to complete the essay portion of the Michigan Merit Exam after new laws took effect this week. Bill sponsors said the change will give students more flexibility in college applications and return classroom time to instruction.
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Starter homes used to be within reach for an average Michigan family on an average Michigan paycheck. Nowadays, the math just doesn’t work anymore. And the strange part? Politicians on both sides actually agree.
Republicans, Democrats, and everyone in Lansing say the same thing: You can’t afford to live here. Why does this crisis keep getting worse? And who’s making money off of it?
Here’s the deal: Housing in Michigan is brutally expensive. The typical Michigan home now runs about $267,000—up more than 50% since the start of 2020. That’s almost a six-figure jump in just a few years, on paychecks that just haven’t kept up. Plus, there simply aren’t enough homes to go around. State data puts Michigan short at least 119,000 homes. Some say it’s worse than those figures suggest. And what does that shortage feel like in real life? The typical first-time home buyer in this country is now 40 years old. And a lot of young Michiganders are just leaving, simply because there’s no affordable starter homes left for them to buy.
So, who’s getting the blame for this mess? Mostly, the rules. This year, candidates from both parties running for governor pointed at the same villain: government red tape. They threw out a scary number, too. Up to $95,000 in taxes and fees to build a house here before anyone even swings a single hammer. But here’s the thing: Bridge, Michigan, ran the numbers and found Michigan has fewer regulations than Ohio or Illinois, and that state reviews get done on time the vast majority of the time. So while state regulations may be part of the cause, they’re not the whole story. Because while everyone in Lansing argues about zoning, private equity firms and billionaires have been buying up Michigan housing, and they figured out that when homes are scarce, that scarcity pays.
Get the full story on this edition of so what? Michigan.
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As a result of federal funding cuts through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Planned Parenthood of Michigan has announced they have eliminated their education department. (Pexels)
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By Lucas Henkel
Nearly one year after President Donald Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law, millions of Michiganders have lost access to healthcare through Medicaid—and they’re continuing to feel the ripple effects of the legislation today.
On June 12, a letter from Planned Parenthood of Michigan’s President and CEO Paula Thornton Greear revealed that federal funding cuts were forcing the organization to close its education department—eliminating 11 positions that had spent years building youth and adult peer education programs, parent and community workshops, school partnerships, LGBTQ+ sexual health education, professional trainings, and community programming throughout Michigan.
In the letter, Greear says that the decision to close the organization’s education department was a result of the $5.2 million revenue gap created after a provision in last year’s reconciliation bill prohibited Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide from receiving Medicaid reimbursement for patients seeking care, in addition to a reduction in federal family planning through Title X funding.
“While the generosity of our supporters and the dedication of our staff have helped lessen the impact, no funding solution has emerged that can fully offset the magnitude of this impact. To ensure Planned Parenthood of Michigan can continue providing critical health services for years to come, we are examining every aspect of our organization and making difficult decisions about what work we can sustainably support,” wrote Greear.
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By Abby Deatrick
Welcome to your weekly roundup of Michigan political events, protests, rallies, advocacy opportunities, and ways to take action statewide.
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📣 Have an event to add? Email Abigail Deatrick, The ’Gander’s state organizing coordinator, with details. Please send submissions at least one week before the event.
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