Affordable Housing
In 2014, OCED began the process for updating the county-wide affordable needs assessment. The previous one was completed in 2007, before the housing boom, bust and recovery; resulting in the Housing Affordability and Economic Equity Analysis (PDF). Affordable housing is considered to be housing for an individual or family that costs less than 30% of the annual household income. Learn what's affordable in Washtenaw County (PDF).
Why We Need It
The Housing Affordability and Economic Equity Analysis for Washtenaw County (2015) notes that Ann Arbor housing costs are expected to increase, making the area of the county with the most jobs, educational opportunities and amenities unaffordable and unavailable to a majority of the county's population. As a result, lower-income residents move to more affordable areas like Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. In the case of low-income renters or owners, that results in a concentration of poverty in several neighborhoods in these communities.
Next Steps
The plan has been adopted by all the jurisdictions in the urban area of the county:
- Ann Arbor DDA
- City of Ann Arbor
- City of Ypsilanti
- Pittsfield Township
- Ypsilanti Township
Building off this momentum, a regional leadership group was convened in summer 2015 to begin prioritizing and implementing the recommendations from the study. View Annual Reports and Work Plans.
The Washtenaw County Affordable Housing Dashboard was developed from this work, as a way to track and map the affordable housing stock throughout the County. The dashboard displays all the rental units that have income restrictions at 60% Area Median Income or below, and shows existing units, lost units since 2015, and new/planned units since 2015. Questions about the dashboard can be directed to Tara Cohen at [email protected].
Additional Information
For more information, email Tara Cohen or call 734-544-3039.