Detroit officials propose new Human, Homeless and Family Services department to centralize housing and family supports

Detroit City Council held a budget hearing on the administration’s plan to create a Human, Homeless and Family Services department that would centralize programs now housed across several city offices, officials said.

Administration officials said the new department — which the mayor is backing — would bring housing stability, homelessness response, home repair and family services under a single director and four divisions. David Bowser, the mayor’s chief of staff, and Luke Schafer, the administration official leading the new portfolio, said the change is intended to reduce barriers to services and to use program data to shape upstream policies that prevent displacement.

The proposal is largely a consolidation of existing programs and funding, administration presenters told the council. Julie Schneider, director of Housing and Revitalization, said the city expects to complete roughly 1,500 home repairs this fiscal year across several programs and that the city’s helpline has connected about 80,500 callers to more than 30 resources. Schneider outlined several funding sources planned to flow into the HHFS budget, including CDBG, ESG, HOME-ARP, one-time grants and general fund dollars; the administration described a roughly $39 million allocation across homelessness solutions, home repair, housing and neighborhood services and operations and noted a 10% general-fund increase for homeless services.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said consolidating services could make it easier for residents to access help without walking through multiple intake processes. But several council members pressed the administration on oversight, data-sharing and whether consolidation would actually close service gaps rather than simply reorganize pots of money.

Council questions and program details

Councilmember Santiago Romero described a ride-along with CHS outreach teams and asked whether HHFS would create shared tools — for example a central map or platform — so outreach providers stop working in silos. Bowser and Schafer said the city intends HHFS to convene partners and pursue data-sharing agreements; Schafer highlighted a planned data match with DPSCD to better link school homelessness indicators (McKinney-Vento) with shelter data so children are not missed for transportation and services.

On accountability, Schafer said the administration will develop a public-facing dashboard tracking top priorities (poverty, health and human services metrics) and North Star goals such as reductions in unsheltered homelessness and shelter length of stay. Tara Linser, the homelessness team lead, described steps to raise shelter quality (monthly site visits, a CDBG-DR shelter-rehab NOFA and quarterly technical-assistance sessions for new providers).

Funding and risk

Donnie Johnson, deputy chief financial officer and budget director, told the council HHFS’s revenue base is heavily weighted toward entitlement and grant funding (CDBG, ESG and state/federal grants), which reduces exposure to swings in general fund revenue; the administration said the general-fund portion is smaller but would be prioritized if revenues drop.

Programs called out

- Home repairs: Schneider said the city will continue multiple home-repair programs, including a new critical home repair program and other targeted funds (ACCESSIBILITY/ARPA-funded work, Renew Detroit lateral water-line repairs). - Down payment assistance: Phase 3 includes $2,000,000 in CDBG and $2,000,000 in a CDBG-DR-type allocation to serve roughly 400–500 residents in the current round, Schneider said; about 39 applications had been submitted as of the presentation. - Youth and behavioral health: The city described youth-focused HUD demonstration grants and specialized youth pathways, and staff said they are expanding mobile crisis and behavioral-health linkages at drop-in centers and through co-response teams.

Council concerns and next steps

Council members repeatedly asked for clarity about leadership, transparency and measurable outcomes. The administration said the department’s org chart and hires remain in draft as part of the EOP process, and Miss Miller remained the department director "as of today," the presenters said. Schafer urged that members submit EOP change requests promptly so amendments could be incorporated before an April 7 deadline the administration referenced for standing up the department legally.

The council did not take a final vote on the HHFS structure during this hearing; members asked for additional data (district and ZIP-code breakdowns of down-payment assistance, quarterly mental-health capacity reports tied to homelessness metrics) and pressed for a shelter report card and more routine HMIS reporting. Several procedural motions related to budget timetables and executive-session items were approved before adjournment.

What’s next: The administration and council will continue negotiations through the EOP/budget amendment process; council members asked that proposed changes be submitted quickly so the department and corresponding budget shifts can align with the April 7 timeline the administration referenced.