The Affordable Housing Commissions

Submitted by whitemice on Fri, 01/19/2024 - 06:44

There are two "Affordable Housing" subdivisions of the City of Grand Rapids: the Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Commission (GRHC) and the Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Fund Board (GRAHFB). The two units of government are completely distinct.

The Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Commission is an odd entity in that it's minutes, meeting schedule, and operations occur almost entirely outside of the city's normal channels. The Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Commission should not be confused with the Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Fund Board. Finding information of either of these bodies requires rooting about on different websites.

The Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Commission has existed since 1996. The GRHC oversees over 4,000 units of Affordable housing in the city of Grand Rapids. The primary funding is federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) dollars. The commission itself has five members who are appointed by the City Manager. The GRHC manages both physical [actual] housing as well being the local administrator of the Section 8 voucher program.

Aside: you may hear in housing discussions, usually with dripping disdain, comments about "Section 8 Housing". When you hear someone use this phrase it is a clear signal you can stop listening to that person. There is no such thing as "Section 8 Housing"; use of this phrase betrays the speaker's ignorance about even the basics of how Affordable housing works. "Section 8" is a federally funded program where low income households receive assistance for renting market-rate housing. All housing is [potentially] "Section 8" housing. The GHRC has a very good webpage on housing vouchers (aka: Section 8)

The Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Fund Board was created by the City Commission in September of 2021as a body to oversee the city's new Affordable Housing. The new fund was seeded with $5 Million dollars of federal ARPA/COVID relief funds. The fund is intended to support a range of housing activities, from new construction to supportive services, for those earning below 80% AMI. Outside organizations (referred to as "agencies") apply to the board for funds; the GRAHFB does not support housing on an individual level. Members of the Affordable Housing Fund Board are appointed by the Mayor and City Commission.

Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Commission Documents

As these are somewhat difficult to find, ...

Meeting Minutes

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Grand Rapids Affordable Housing Fund Documents

Meeting Minutes

The minutes vary greatly in quality and detail.

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