'We Can't Keep Living Like This': Detroiters Speak Out on the City's Affordable Housing Crisis

Rents in Detroit have climbed more than 31 percent since 2021, according to data compiled by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, and for thousands of families on the east side and in the neighborhoods flanking Gratiot Avenue, that number isn't abstract — it's an eviction notice slipped under a door.

The pressure is acute right now because Detroit's updated Housing and Revitalization Department affordability plan, first introduced in March 2025, faces a critical City Council vote before the end of July. Community groups say the plan, as written, still doesn't go far enough to protect renters who have no formal lease protections under Michigan state law — a gap that leaves Detroit at a significant disadvantage compared to cities like Chicago and Minneapolis, both of which have enacted some form of rent stabilization in recent years.

Voices From the Neighborhoods

At a community listening session held June 28 at the Samaritan Center on East Jefferson Avenue, more than 80 residents packed a room designed for 60. People lined the walls. A woman who has rented on Mack Avenue near Van Dyke for 14 years told the room her monthly rent jumped from $750 to $1,050 between January and April — a 40 percent increase with 30 days' notice and no recourse. She is not alone. Organizers from the Detroit Housing for the Future Fund, a coalition of nonprofits and faith groups that has been tracking displacement since 2022, say they've logged more than 1,200 similar complaints this year alone.

In Mexicantown, along Vernor Highway near Clark Park, longtime residents describe a neighborhood mid-transformation. A family that has operated a small grocery on Springwells Street for two decades said their landlord recently declined to renew their commercial lease, citing interest from a higher-paying tenant. Two doors down, a renter in a three-family flat said her building has been sold twice in 18 months. The Southwest Detroit Business Association has flagged at least a dozen commercial properties in the corridor that changed hands between 2024 and early 2026.

Data from the City of Detroit's Office of Eviction Diversion shows that 6,847 eviction filings were recorded in Wayne County's 36th District Court in 2025 — up from 5,100 in 2023. The Eviction Diversion Program, which launched in 2020 with federal CARES Act funding and has since been sustained through the city's general fund at roughly $4.2 million annually, helped 2,300 households last year. Critics argue the program is underfunded by at least $2 million given current case volumes.

What Comes Next

The Detroit City Council is scheduled to take up revisions to the housing plan during its July 21 session. Community organizers from Detroit Action and the United Community Housing Coalition are pushing for two specific additions: a 60-day mandatory notice requirement before any rent increase above 5 percent, and a right-to-counsel pilot program for tenants facing eviction in the 48205 and 48214 zip codes — two of the city's highest-displacement areas.

Mayor Mike Duggan's office has not publicly committed to either provision. A spokesperson said the administration remains committed to the broader housing strategy but offered no timeline on amendments.

For residents, the council vote feels far away. Neighbors in the Osborn neighborhood, near 7 Mile Road and Gratiot, say they've attended three public meetings this year without seeing any change on the ground. The Detroit Housing for the Future Fund is hosting another session on July 15 at Greater Grace Temple on Seven Mile — open to all — where residents can register housing complaints and get connected to free legal aid through the Michigan Poverty Law Program. That may be the most practical option for the coming weeks while the political process grinds forward.