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Residents urge city action on foreclosures and tenant protections during committee public comment
Summary
Multiple Detroit residents urged the Planning & Economic Development committee to address foreclosure auctions and tenant rights, citing an urgent case of an 11‑year resident facing auction and a claim that 834 homes are in the foreclosure pipeline.
Dozens of Detroiters told the Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee on Sept. 18 they are facing urgent housing threats and asked the city to expand tenant protections.
At the start of the meeting, an online caller identified as Eb said she has lived in her home for 11 years and learned only after her landlord’s death that the property entered foreclosure. She said she was outbid at auction and was told a new owner could force her to leave within 30 days. “This is 2025. How can I just move and find a decent place in 30 days?” she asked, adding she has paid rent and maintained the home.
Committee staff offered a phone number for follow up and said the city would try to help within the scope of current law, and that any law changes would require state‑level action.
Other callers pressed the committee for immediate steps. Mike Shane urged the chair to call the assessor or other officials to pull one homeowner’s property out of an auction while officials explore options; he noted the auction date was imminent. Tahir Ahmed told the committee he believes 834 homes are currently in the foreclosure pipeline and asked for another foreclosure moratorium, saying many of those affected are “hardworking families and mostly Black women with children.”
Speakers tied the problem to broader policy choices, with one caller arguing that tax abatements and developer incentives have starved the city’s general fund and left retirees and tenants vulnerable.
What happens next: Committee members recorded the comments and offered to follow up by phone; staff said they would try to assist affected callers within current legal authority and, if legal changes are required, work with state legislators. The committee did not take a formal vote on new tenant‑rights legislation at the meeting.
Quotes from the record include: “I need help. This is not right,” from Eb, and “We need more tenant rights in this city, please,” she said. Another caller said the city should consider a temporary moratorium on auctions while solutions are developed.
The committee continued into scheduled public hearings on tax abatements and development projects before adjourning.
