When the Living in Michigan campaign updated their website a little over a week ago, they added quite a bit of information about affordable housing for folks who may still be unfamiliar with the issue.

While most of us in the affordable housing industry already have a good sense of why our work is important, we still need to be familiar with these talking points so we can make the case –– to our family, friends, co-workers, and legislators –– that now is the time to invest in the Michigan Housing and Community Development Fund:

• According to Governing Magazine: Michigan is ranked 48th in the country on a per capita basis for its state revenue support of affordable housing.
  
• As this issue is now on the table for Michigan, 38 states have already decided to help address their critical housing needs by establishing housing trust funds.
  
• Michigan is not attracting businesses because we are not providing them with the real incentive to which they will respond — to be a partner with a vibrant, creative state with momentum.
  
• The Housing and Community Development Fund would leverage additional funding from public and private sources. It is estimated that housing projects will have a 1:3 ratio and community development projects a 1:2 ratio.
  
• Thus, a $100 million program (80% for housing/20% for community development) will leverage an additional investment of $280 million, create over 6,000 good paying jobs and generate approximately $21 million in state and local taxes!
  
• If Michigan's economy is to experience true transformation, there must be a connection between the creation of jobs and the availability of safe, high quality, affordably priced housing.
  
• In Michigan, data shows that 36% of our homeless families are working. Families with a single female as the head of household comprise 59% of those families. And sadly, 56% of homeless persons in families were children — most under the age of 10.
  
• If we do not make affordable housing available to these children and families, there is a greater likelihood that they will remain homeless as adults. If we do not choose to make affordable housing available to these children and families, the future cost to support them through public services will be devastating - placing a burden on Michigan’s taxpayers that will increase each year.

If you support the Living in Michigan campaign, then be sure to join the coalition, contact your legislators, and register for Lunch on the Lawn at the Capitol on May 2. We'll see you there!