Pontiac Housing Commission

Designing how our future looks, from backyards to businesses, starts with zoning. From where your favorite coffee shop will open to the size of your lawn, to how many neighbors you might have. The shape of our communities literally depends on zoning, and now, we’re working with the Michigan Association of Planning (MAP) to give the public a clearer picture of Oakland County’s land use. A new tool exploring how our 62 cities, villages and townships are zoned is in the works that will help local governments and developers better coordinate between communities. "Because you can only control your community, there's kind of a tendency to look at your zoning map and to say, 'Okay, this meets more or less the needs of my community,'" Leah DuMouchel, director of programs and communications at MAP, said. "... In Oakland County, in southeast Michigan, we're shoulder to shoulder with other communities that are doing things differently. And so there is a tendency to say, 'The needs that we're not able to meet, there are other communities that can meet them, right?' It's not until you really are able to take a step back and look at the county scale [that you can see] the opportunities across the entire county for the kinds of housing that we need." Read more about how this new map could help us build more housing here: tinyurl.com/OCLANDMAP

Shovels in the ground, hope in the air! We helped Lighthouse break ground last week on two significant housing projects that will make a dent in the over 2,000 missing units in our city. Auburn Place, which will include 30 out of 54 units set aside to help our neighbors transition into safe living environments, and Beacon Place, with 40 occupied units under renovation for the future. That’s a total of 94 places to live in Pontiac. The numbers matter. We need more homes and we need them now. According to latest Out of Reach report, in Michigan making minimum wage, you would need to work: - 78 hours per week to afford a 2-bedroom rental home at fair market rent - 63 hours per week to afford a 1-bedroom rental home at fair market rent That’s equivalent to 2 full-time jobs at minimum wage for a two-bedroom home, or 1.6 full-time jobs for a 1-bedroom home. Source: nlihc.org/oor/state/mi

We asked the primary candidates running for Mayor of Pontiac what plans they specifically have to build more housing. Seven out of eight candidates attended our recent Primary Mayoral Debate, and here are their uncut answers about building places to live, what policies they support, and how our city will look in 2030. Here is question 2 of 2.

ICYMI: We broke ground today on Beacon Place and Auburn Place in Pontiac. We can't wait to get these affordable units built and renovated for local families. Thank you to all of the members of the media who covered the story today. Here's one report from WDIV Local 4 News/ClickOnDetroit. Michigan State Housing Development Authority O'Brien Construction Fusco, Shaffer & Pappas, Inc., Architects and Planners City of Pontiac, Michigan USA - Government Oakland County, Michigan Government Cinnaire Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Pontiac Housing Commission Ethos Development Partners Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBI) Robin Schwartz

What do the primary candidates running for Mayor of Pontiac know about housing solutions? We asked two pointed questions at our recent Primary Mayoral Debate about building more housing, what policies they support, and how our city will look in 2030. These videos are uncut and while 1-minute is never enough time to get the full picture, it is our hope that this debate will help residents decide who they want at the helm of Pontiac. Here is question 1 of 2. 

Curious about the tools and plans Pontiac's mayoral candidates will use for housing, business retention and building back our city? Come join us tomorrow, Wednesday July 23rd, at the Business, Bricks & Building Our Future: Mayoral Candidate Debate, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Crofoot Ballroom, moderated by former Local 4 business reporter Rod Meloni. This event is free and open to the public. REGISTER HERE: https://lnkd.in/e2UjUVXZ

Nothing says summer like good food, great people, and sunshine over our city ☀️ Last week, the Pontiac Housing Commission and Men in Pontiac teamed up to host a Senior Picnic for members of the Golden Opportunity Club. We were honored to host this heartfelt celebration for the elders who have helped shape our community. From delicious bites to laughter-filled conversations, it was the perfect way to kick off the season and show appreciation for those who’ve given so much. A huge thank you to Designed Mindfully for curating the decor and helping to create a beautiful event. Here’s to more moments of connection and joy all summer long!

Homelessness in Oakland County doesn’t always mean sleeping outside. In fact, it more commonly means couch-surfing, staying in hotels or campers, or with family. 🛋️ From October 2024 to March 2025 (the most recent period for which data is available): 🏠385 households reached out to our friends at Community Housing Network, Inc. for assistance because they were completely unhoused. 🏠In that same time period, almost double the households, 747 of them, called for help because they were in Category 2 homelessness. This is the case for most housing agencies in Oakland County, and it matters because funding distribution between Category 1 Homelessness (completely unhoused) and Category 2 Homelessness (what we see the most of) isn’t always even. Most programs are designed to help the most vulnerable populations, leaving less resources for agencies to prevent homelessness instead of treating it. Learn more about how this affects efforts to end homelessness in your backyard in this Metromode article, featuring stories from our community. https://lnkd.in/eu54ag2m

Our friends at Bloomfield Community Television were curious about what’s new and happening in Pontiac, so our Executive Director Ahmad Taylor sat down with Chuck Moss to give them the scoop. Chuck asked some poignant questions such as: Why isn’t Pontiac the northern jewel of Oakland County (yet)? Check out this candid discussion and let us know where we should take Pontiac’s story next! (https://lnkd.in/e-rTbfF2)

We were proud to represent Pontiac last week at the Building Michigan Communities Conference 🏗️🏡 In a room full of experts and individuals ready to learn, we shared our vision to build 100 new homes in Pontiac. The ins-and-outs and most importantly, the partnerships. In a time when housing shortages are hitting communities hard, we’re taking action by transforming vacant lots into opportunity. 💥Huge thanks to our presenters Ahmad Taylor, Sean Lefere, and Vern Gustafsson for leading the conversation on what’s possible when housing strategy meets community purpose. #BuildingPontiac #100Homes #BMCC2025 #HousingSolutions #WeBuildPontiac