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Community groups seek $10M for housing trust fund, $5M for community land trust and participatory budgeting pilot
Summary
Multiple callers urged the Detroit City Council to increase long-term affordable housing spending, fund a community land trust pilot and authorize participatory budgeting; some asked the council to reallocate demolition funds to home rehabilitation and to pursue a moratorium or refund for foreclosures.
Community advocates told City Council during the FY2026 budget public hearing that the city must increase investment in deeply affordable housing and new shared‑equity models.
Speakers and callers proposed specific allocations: $10,000,000 for the Detroit Affordable Housing Trust Fund, $5,000,000 to establish a Community Land Trust pilot, and a $2,100,000 participatory‑budgeting pilot that would let residents allocate funds in their neighborhoods. Ndrnga Masani Manuel, speaking for the Affordable Housing and Homeless Task Force, enumerated several requests including those dollar amounts and $25,000,000 for a right‑to‑counsel program to help tenants facing eviction.
Other witnesses asked the council to redirect $10–$15 million from the demolition budget to house rehabilitation in district‑level programs and to revisit the structure of legacy Black land funds and earlier HUD grant changes. Several callers also urged action on foreclosure refunds and a moratorium on foreclosures, citing long‑standing community concerns about displacement.
Advocates said the city’s recent affordable‑housing investments have not prioritized larger family units or permanent affordability and urged the council to require deeper affordability in new housing and to support community ownership models that prevent displacement. There was no formal vote at the hearing; council staff and the mayor’s office will post executive‑session materials for further deliberation.
