Detroit council budget hearing: HRD details budget, homelessness expansion and home‑repair plans; council moves multiple items to executive session

Julie Schneider, director of the Housing and Revitalization Department, told the Detroit City Council that HRD’s proposed 2025–26 budget relies roughly 46% on the city general fund — “about $34,000,000” — with the remainder supplied by HUD formula and competitive grants, and that one‑time awards have materially increased the department’s project pipeline.

“Our mission is to soundly and transparently invest funds and deliver services to ensure that housing and neighborhoods are high quality, affordable and accessible to and for all Detroiters,” Schneider said during the hearing.

The budget presentation and council questioning centered on three connected priorities: producing and preserving affordable housing, expanding home repair and accessibility work for older homeowners, and scaling homelessness prevention and shelter services.

Why this matters: HRD manages the city’s HUD grants and a growing set of local programs. Schneider warned that roughly 56% of HRD’s operating resources are tied to federal programs, and that a lapse in the federal budget could put those services at risk. Council members repeatedly pressed staff for details about how programs reach long‑term Detroit residents, the so‑called “missing middle,” and how neighborhood framework plans will move into implementation.

Key budget and program figures

- Affordable housing lending and pipeline: HRD closed roughly $71,000,000 in loans in calendar year 2024 (Schneider said that was driven largely by ARPA funding). For 2025–26 HRD described approximately $9,700,000 in its annual affordable housing development budget, with about $7,900,000 projected from HOME funds and program income, plus an affordable housing development and preservation trust fund allocation of about $1,800,000. Schneider also said the department has $106,000,000 in one‑time grants that are loaned, committed or awarded to projects, including $68,000,000 of ARPA funds and a $22,000,000 Choice Neighborhoods award from 2021.

- Home repair and renovation: HRD presented annual targets and a proposed $5,400,000 2025–26 home‑repair budget. Targets for the current year included 125 senior emergency repairs, 165 lead‑hazard repairs, 500 0%‑interest loans, 900 roof replacements through Renew Detroit, 100 accessibility repairs and 800 private sewer repairs through the CDBG‑DR private sewer repair program. Schneider said the department is administering roughly $70,700,000 in one‑time grant balances across repair and neighborhood programs.

- Homeownership / down‑payment assistance: Schneider said HRD’s down‑payment assistance produced about 775 new homeowners between 2023 and 2024, with an average household income near 60% of AMI (about $50,000). HRD proposed $2,000,000 in CDBG for down‑payment assistance and an additional $10,000,000 in CDBG‑Disaster Recovery funds that HRD said are proposed for the program.

- Homelessness and housing stability: Schneider said HRD and partners have connected nearly 50,000 Detroiters to resource programs and placed a little over 1,200 residents in permanent housing through case management. HRD proposed $16,900,000 for homelessness and housing stability programs in 2025–26, comprising multiple funding streams including Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), CDBG, the city general fund and other sources; Schneider outlined line‑items including roughly $8,400,000 of general fund support and $2,300,000 intended to support transition as HOME‑ARP and ARPA sources end.

Homelessness changes and the seven‑point plan

Schneider told the council the department expanded work on homelessness in 2024–25: adding 24‑hour outreach, increasing shelter beds, standing up two drop‑in shelters that together created about 110 beds, and coordinating new street‑level outreach with Detroit Police Department precincts.

Tara Lindsner, homelessness solutions director, described new data work with an external partner to identify callers to the CAM (Coordinated Access Model) helpline who are at high risk of entering homelessness and said those risk factors can guide earlier, targeted interventions. When asked about automated prediction tools, Lindsner said, “We are not using artificial intelligence at this time.”

In response to a recent child fatality that council members and HRD leaders cited repeatedly, HRD described a seven‑point expansion the mayor announced: 24‑hour CAM coverage, in‑person site visits for families with minor children who report imminent housing loss, doubling some drop‑in capacity, expanded night outreach teams and formalizing police precincts’ role as safe havens and referral points. Schneider said the city’s priority had been unsheltered households but that more in‑person contact with at‑risk callers will be a new emphasis.

Brightmoor and neighborhood implementation

Council President Pro Tem James Tate and others pressed HRD on how the Brightmoor framework plan will move from planning into implementation without a long “lull” that could weaken resident engagement. HRD said it is coordinating with the Planning & Development Department, the Detroit Housing Commission and neighborhood groups. On Brightmoor Homes specifically, Schneider said HRD was working on a term sheet for phases 2 and 3 and expected to reach agreement "within the next 45 days." HRD also described a large green stormwater infrastructure project identified in the framework and said proposed CDBG‑DR funds could support that work.

Accessibility and home repair for seniors

Council members raised the CHN‑administered accessibility program and asked why many applicants would not receive full renovations. HRD responded that the initial $6.6 million program design mixes smaller, kit‑based accessibility work (grab bars, transfer benches, shower chairs) with a smaller number of more extensive renovations. HRD said it had identified roughly 232 recipients for kit‑style assistance and that kits cost about $800–$1,500 depending on need; HRD said it is pursuing additional conditional approvals and other grant funds to assist more applicants.

Federal funding risk and next steps

Schneider told the council the lack of a settled federal budget poses a material risk because a large portion of HRD’s budget depends on HUD and other federal grants; she described planning to draw down eligible grant balances quickly if a disruption occurs, but said the situation is fluid. Several council members asked HRD to pursue additional local and philanthropic revenue and to report back with follow‑up analysis.

Votes at a glance (motions recorded during the public budget hearing)

- Motion to place the Housing Trust Fund, Neighborhood Beautification Grant and Conventional Senior Home Repair Grant Program on the council’s executive session agenda; mover not specified in the transcript; outcome: approved ("hearing no objections"). (Transcript mentions motion at multiple points; record: first motion recorded around time index ~2102.)

- Motion by President Pro Tem James Tate to place the Universal Design Voucher program and the Down Payment Assistance program on the executive session agenda; outcome: approved (no objections).

- Motion by Council Member Coleman Young II to place 3‑D printing (demolition & construction) and an AI homeless prevention system on the executive session agenda; outcome: approved (no objections).

- Motion by Council Member Mary Waters to add the Senior Accessibility program to executive session; outcome: approved (no objections).

- Motion (not specified) to add $3,000,000 for home repairs to the executive agenda; outcome: approved (no objections).

- Motion to add a development of an infill housing strategy and a closing resolution prioritizing public‑private partnerships to increase programs for middle‑income families (mover not specified); outcome: approved (no objections).

- Motion by Council Member Scott Benson to add $1,000,000 to the Asset Protection (estate planning/wealth preservation) program for expanded marketing and outreach; outcome: approved (no objections).

- Motion by Scott Benson to add $2,000,000 for the 0% interest home‑repair loan program and expanded marketing; outcome: approved (no objections).

- Motion by Council Member Leticia Johnson to add $5,000,000 for a Community Land Trust Fund to executive session; outcome: approved (no objections).

- Motion by Council Member Dara Hall to add the DHAP (Detroit Home Accessibility Program) with $2,000,000 to executive session; outcome: approved (no objections).

(Transcript records multiple additional procedural motions to recess or add items; all motions noted above were recorded as "hearing no objections" in the public hearing.)

Closing note

Council members asked HRD to return written follow‑ups on several items, including the down‑payment assistance program’s projected funding levels, the home‑repair program’s eligibility and capacity (particularly for the "missing middle"), Brightmoor implementation timing and contingency planning if federal HUD funding is delayed. HRD repeatedly emphasized that some funds in the department’s portfolio are one‑time grant dollars and that projects funded with those awards will come to council for specific approvals as financial packages near closing.