In Grand Rapids and all across Michigan, rents have increased by nearly 9% in the last year, while wages stagnate and benefits are reduced. Single parents would need to work over 100 hours a week at minimum wage to afford rent for the average 2-bedroom apartment.

Yet those of us in the Grand Rapids area have a unique responsibility to apply pressure, as the State Senator for District 29 is Winnie Brinks, the Majority Leader for the Michigan Senate. Write your email now to tell Brinks to meet the list of tenant demands, developed by a coalition of tenants and tenant organizations from around the state.

The 4 demands:

1. Rent Control: Remove the state-wide ban on rent control so municipalities can take action to stabilize rents and protect tenants.

What to know: Rent control is any policy that directly regulates or limits landlords’ ability to raise rents on an annual basis. For instance, a city may limit increases to a certain percentage, or according to some other formula. Rent control provides tenants with the security of knowing they won’t be priced out due to arbitrary and excessive increases in rent. These types of local policies were banned by the state legislature in 1988. We support a repeal of this ban on rent control.

2. Social Housing: Assign $4 billion for social housing in FY25 state budget.

What to know: Social housing is a public option for housing that is permanently affordable, protected from the private market, and publicly owned by the government or under democratic community control by non-profit and cooperative entities. Around the world, robust social housing programs have ended affordable housing shortages; expanded democratic accountability and equitable housing access; and raised populations out of poverty and into prosperity.” Social housing is built to house people well, rather than deliver a profit to developers & managers. States and municipalities in the US are initiating social housing programs anchored by a new generation of public-sector housing development agencies. We support a $4 billion state infusion into social housing, to be administered regionally by public developers. This amount could directly support approximately 40-50,000 new social housing units, which would make significant progress towards the state-established goal of building 75,000 total new homes over the next 5 years.

3. Housing First: Assign $1 billion for people experiencing and at risk of homelessness in FY25 state budget.

What to know: Housing First is a successful and evidence-based approach to reducing homelessness that focuses on providing housing to people, rather than criminalizing or pathologizing them. We support a $1 billion state infusion into programs of direct service, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing, with a housing first lens. These funds should be distributed and administered regionally.

4. A Renter’s Bill of Rights: Renters around the country are insisting on more protections against landlord abuse and empowerment of renters as a class.

What to know: Michigan renters need these rights and protections as much as any. A Renters Bill of Rights could include fair chance housing for returning citizens, tenants’ right to organize and have counsel, relocation assistance in case of red tagging, increased safety inspection standards, legal protection against discrimination based on housing status, just cause eviction, renter agency for repairs, a ban on hidden rental fees, and other such policies.