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Dearborn Heights pauses home-rehabilitation program amid low take-up and unspent funds
Summary
Staff told the council the city will discontinue the housing rehabilitation program for now after limited recent use and multiple years of unspent funds; staff framed the change as a trade-off to benefit more residents through sidewalks.
Director Debeja told the council the city will discontinue the home-rehabilitation program for the time being, citing low participation and multiple years of unspent dollars. "We're discontinuing it for now," she said, noting that over the last five years the program completed 24 projects but recent annual take-up has been very low (two applicants in one year, seven in another) and the city carried forward substantial unspent balances.
Debeja said the decision is intended to shift limited federal dollars into projects that serve broader public safety and mobility goals, such as sidewalks. She emphasized no resident who previously received help is being stripped of assistance and encouraged anyone in need to visit the departments office for information on prior work; staff framed the change as a reallocation rather than a new prohibition on assistance.
