City of Flint Employee Homeownership Incentive Pilot Program
Executive Summary
Two students provided Flint Councilwoman Tonya Burns with data and information on housing incentive programs and mortgage down payment assistance. The Flint housing market has some of the most affordable housing in the country, however, despite this, housing insecurity in Flint continues to be a pressing issue. There are multiple causes of this issue ranging from low incomes and job security, to thousands of blighted houses in the community, and the effects of redlining are still being felt to this day. Many residents of Flint cannot afford to buy houses, yet Flint has ample housing stock. To help make housing more affordable to residents, students suggested the City of Flint should create a program that gives down payment assistance in the form of forgivable loans. Creating this program would not only be helpful for the current residents, but it would show that Flint is a city with many opportunities for economic growth, which could help attract others to move there. This would create a more engaged and invested community. Students spoke during the weekly Flint City Council meeting summarizing their research. In addition, the students presented a one-pager detailing home rehabilitation and education resources to the Councilmember.